


Transformations

by Midnightsbloom (MidnightsBloom14)



Category: Danny Phantom, Transformers - All Media Types, Transformers: Prime
Genre: Careful who's your fave cause someones going to get hurt, Crossover, Danny becomes an eventual mess always trying to please everyone, Developing Friendships, Friendship, No pairings - Freeform, Not much swearing cause I wanted to try staying true to the characters, format gets slightly better compared to earlier chapters, gives you more room to silently ship pairings that way ;), like it goes from kittens and sunshine to shit hits the fan, shit happens
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-07-02
Updated: 2018-07-01
Packaged: 2018-11-22 15:15:42
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 13
Words: 119,415
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11382822
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MidnightsBloom14/pseuds/Midnightsbloom
Summary: This was NOT the summer vacation that Danny Fenton had in mind, taking a trip to Jasper Nevada for a few months with his parents was definitely not part of the plan, but adventure always seems to find him anyways when he discovers talking robots that can turn into cars. No Slash, possible fluff, includes all of team prime from season 2. Crossposting from FF.net, please ignore the slight spelling errors and stuff cause this was originally posted in 2014, but its still being updated (hopefully)





	1. Prologue

**_~~~~~_ _~~~~~~~_     
  
  
**This was NOT the summer vacation that Danny Fenton had in mind, taking a trip to Jasper Nevada for a few months with his parents was defiantly not part of the plan. It was bad enough that his friends couldn't tag along, they had stayed behind in Amity Park because their folks wouldn't allow it. That left his two best friends Sam and Tucker to do ghost patrol, Hopefully his friends could handle it before he got back, plus, there was the Red Huntress hunting ghosts also. He just hoped that nothing big will turn up like Skulker, Technus, Ember, Freak show (who screwed up half their vacation a few months back), Vortex or Plasmius a.k.a Vlad Masters, another half ghost hybrid like him. Danny sighed in the back seat of the Fenton RV, even Jazz got to stay behind saying that she needed to study and some other bookworm stuff, plus, a couple of close friends to the Fenton's were gonna check up on her from time to time. Danny pulled out his phone thinking about texting one of his friends, but then he thought against it seeing that he had little battery life on his phone and decided to call them up later when they got to the house they rented for their stay. A few hours must of passed since he doze off for a bit, his mom informed him that they will be arriving in a few more hours causing the teenager to groan in annoyance.  
  
Oh how he  _wished_  he could fly the extra distance there and just get this over with, but that would lead to his parents noticing his disappearance and panicking due to the fact that they didn't know he was Danny Phantom, the town's residential hero, or menace in their's and a few other inhabits opinions. He knew his Parents would accept him, but he wanted them to learn that he wasn't a menace first instead of them accepting him because he was their son. Still there was a  _tiny_ seed of doubt that his earlier notion was false. The raven haired teen shook his head to rid himself of these thoughts, he didn't want to be thinking of this stuff right now, he just wanted to sit back and watch the scenery flash by the windows, it's not like he was enjoying this trip anyway. The only reason why his mom and dad were traveling to Jasper anyways was due to the strange paranormal sightings in the town recently, there's been blogs and such with photographs, but they've been scrubbed as Tucker informed him, and to be precise, by a very experienced hacker.   
  
  
Jack and Maddie immediately jumped to the conclusion that the 'paranormal' sighting's were a ghost, and since they've hadn't had that much luck with catching any ghost, especially Phantom in Amity, they've decided to come here. And to Danny's disappointment, Danny had no say in the matter, he just remembered waking up one morning feeling almost fully rested, glancing at the alarm that rested on his bedside table that read eight thirty nine a.m., in which in his opinion was way too early to be getting up in the morning. But apparently his parents had other plans, his bedroom door slammed opened, almost causing the poor boy a heart attack, heck, he could have not been decent in his room! but his parents seemed too eager to tell him the news to notice their son's pale panicked expression, so instead his father announced "Pack your bags son! were going on a trip!" Jack said excitedly while smiling from ear to ear.  
Danny was now hesitant to ask, but he asked for possibly his own well being "what kind of trip?" he asked in a almost raspy voice due to him not using it yet that morning.  
  
"Danny boy! were going to Jasper Nevada!" Jack continued enthusiastically, in turn, causing Danny to pale.  
  
What about the ghosts?! he couldn't leave them here to wreck havoc among the town! what about his friends? and where was his sister Jazz in all of this? but he didn't have anymore time to ponder such questions as his mom continued as she nodded "Yep! were going to be staying there for a few months to investigate the abnormalities going on over there!" She said cheerily.  
  
"That's right Maddie baby!" Jack bellowed before lifting Maddie off her feet and giving her a big-wet sounding-smooch, in which his wife returned. Danny felt like if the ghost didn't kill him yet, then this surely would with him puking his brains out and all.  _Oh man! I think I'm gonna hurl!_  Danny thought while trying desperately to hold back the bile rising in his throat. Later Danny found out about the situation with Jazz, he unceremoniously went up to the nearest wall and banged his head on it repeatedly, muttering something along the lines of 'why does the world hate me?'. Jazz told him not to worry about the ghost though, her and 'the Ghost Getter's ' will take care of everything, causing Danny to groan upon remembering his LAST ghost hunting experiences with Jazz. A few minutes later Danny called his friends over to explain what the shish kabob was going on. Danny sadly bid his friends goodbye as his parents told him they were leaving in a few minutes.  
  
Danny sluggishly got in the RV with a heartbroken expression displaying on his features. Maddie noticed this and placed a comforting hand on her son's knee, "Don't worry Danny, everything is going to be just fine, besides, this would be great bonding experience for us seeing as your constantly disappearing all the time."   
  
Danny had to give a small smile at that, He did miss spending time with his parents, but he knew was still lying to them which he hated doing. Funny though, everyone was telling him not to worry and he was doing quite the opposite.   
  
Danny bent down in his seat to reach over for his backpack, pulling out a notebook and pencil. Danny then righted himself in the seat again before opening up his notebook trying to think up ideas for once they reached their destination he had something planed out so he wouldn't be bored out of his mind. This was going to be a long two day trip.  
 ** _  
~~~~~_ _~DP~~~~~~_     
  
**Danny's legs felt numb with no usage once they pulled up the driveway. As soon as the vehicle came to a halt Danny hurriedly jumped out of the car, he was starting to feel a little claustrophobic and he took the chance right away to get out of that death trap. No seriously, there were ghost weapons lined up on the walls in there and they were starting to make him feel a little twitchy. Danny now happily stretched his sore limbs in the morning's rising sun, he couldn't wait to take flight once his parents got settled in, he hasn't flown at all yet since they left Amity because his parents thought it was a good idea to put a ghost shield on so no ghost would try to murder them or something in their sleep, and Danny didn't know where the remote to shut it off was, but he did have a vague idea, but he was willing to check... The location of it would of made him feel contaminated or something plus being scared for life. So he would just have to wait till they arrived so he can release that pent up ghost energy, to sum it up in a nut shell, Danny was not good at waiting.   
   
"Come help unload the Ghost hunting assault vehicle Danny!" his dad called over to him in his booming voice. Danny paused in mid stretch and retained his crestfallen demeanor before reluctantly trudging back.   
  
"Why didn't you just say RV?" Danny asked while leaning into said object.  
  
"Because its sounds cool!" Jack replied like it was most obvious answer in the world, Danny just said "oh" in response before puling out some boxes and carrying them to the now open door that led to the house. Danny's mom placed some boxes down in the living room as did Danny. Now that he was in here in can see what the place looked like. Well to start off, The living room had a dark brown couch with a wide glass window behind it and a wooden rocking chair placed in the corner, a knitted brown rug was placed in the center of the living room with a glass side table next to it. Next once the flat screen TV, Danny guessed that whoever rented the house out to them was hoping that it would brake so they could get a sum of money, or he could be wrong unless that wasn't what the sticky note taped onto the TV that read 'Brake me!" meant. Danny then walked through an entrance way to what he assumed was a kitchen. his assumption was correct as he looked the room over, there was a decent size dining room table next to a window that was supporting six chairs, the walls were covered in a warm beige colored paint while the floors adorned tile. Danny just took a glance at the cooking area since he wasn't one to be in the kitchen, he was still somewhat traumatized when he went to make a sandwich one day and the bread leaped at him and attacked with razor sharp teeth. In the end, the aftermath wasn't pretty.   
There were cupboards above the stove and marble counter tops, a stainless steel sink that offered dish space and a dish rack, a stainless steel fridge as well. He went back outside to grab more stuff to bring in.   
  
After thirty minutes or so, everything was in and Danny now sat on the bed in his substitute upstairs bedroom. He sat there taking in details of the room, the walls were painted a calming green while the floor offered white carpet,  _probably another thing the renters wanted to get messed up_ Danny mused silently before continuing, there were two small windows and side tables on either side of the bed there and there was a personal bathroom in there that he didn't plan on examining that much, there was a small closet with extra hangers also. Danny's parents were probably putting stuff away in their substitute bedroom. Danny groaned with boredom as he fell back onto the bed. After a few minutes Danny looked over and saw that he had left his backpack on the left side table, he reached over to it and started looking for the notebook from a few days before. His face lit up when he found it before he preceded to open it and flip through the pages before he found the one he had written on. "Okay, first thing on the list to do is... Call Sam and Tucker" Danny said out loud to himself as he was speaking to no one in particular. He was about to grab his cell phone until he remembered that it still needed to be charged. "Darn" He said in a barely audible whisper. He reached further into the backpack and pulled out the charger and then preceded to walk over to the nearest outlet and plugged it in allowing it to charge. Danny sighed, he could always call them later.   
  
Danny then walked over to the room's door and opened it to exit, he walked down the hall and then downstairs. It wouldn't hurt to go out for a bit right? After all one of the things on his to do list was explore the town. "Mom!" Danny called through out the house.   
  
"I'm in here sweetie!" she called from the kitchen.   
  
Danny made his way towards her, she was in the kitchen...Cooking. Danny felt a little bit of anxiety rising in him, he needed to ask his mom before what ever she was making came to life with an evil vengeance. "Oh hey mom. Do you uh... Think I can explore the town? I won't be long." Danny asked while trying to pull a puppy dog eye look. Maddie looked up from her work and looked at her son, he was smiling slightly while his eyes twinkled with curiosity and possibly a hint of mischief. She pondered his question for a few moments, she was happy that he wasn't moping around the house anymore- well, at least at this moment- and possibly some fresh air would do her son some good.   
  
"Okay" she nodded in agreement as her short auburn hair bobbed up and down "but be sure to take your cell phone." she said in a serious tone, Danny flinched slightly.  
  
"Umm... Do you think I can borrow yours mom? mine's kinda dead." He said wincing.   
  
"Fine, here." his mom said before reaching into her tool like belt and pulling out the cell phone. Danny gladly took it and nodded his thanks before heading out the front door. It must of been nine 'o clock in the morning by now as Danny stood in the front yard taking in the unfamiliar scenery.Pretty much everything about this place was different then Amity Park, like for instance this neighborhood was quiet, sure Amity was a Quiet town if you don't count the constant ghost attacks and failed takeovers. Danny glanced at the light blue sky, it was cloudy but it didn't look like any chance of rain but possibly later on tonight. "I wonder if this town would be good for stargazing?" he asked himself silently, he's always been fascinated with the stars and traveling to throughout the universe and possibly finding life out there, Danny loved the way the stars offered freedom, solitude and a place to empty his troubling thoughts and be replaced with childish dreams with dashes of fantasy.   
  
Danny was snapped out of his thoughts as a low rumbling came from down the street, he let his sight wander until he spotted the incoming vehicle. It was a royal blue with barely noticeable pink trimmed motorcycle with it's driver sitting on the back. Danny couldn't see the person's face but from what he could tell the person was a guy. He wore a Taupe colored t-shirt over a light grey long sleeved shirt with a pair of denim jeans with a pair of black and white sneakers. Danny glanced warily about the pair, there was something odd about that he couldn't quite place his finger on, but he could be wrong, after being kidnapped, tricked or fighting other ghost, he has become a  _little_  paranoid.  
  
 ** _~~~~~_ _~TFP~~~~~~_   **  
  
Jack Darby had just received a call from his guardian Arcee saying that she was on her way over to come pick him up. He walked down the driveway with his backpack in hand as he waited. Since it was summer vacation, school was out so that meant he could spend more time at the base with the Auto Bots. Jack stood by the mailbox as he watched as Arcee pulled up with the human hologram riding her motorcycle form, she then parked right next to him making the hologram disappear.   
  
"Hop on." she advised, Jack happily obliged as he did as he was told before her engine revved back up and took off in the direction of the base.   
  
"Well hello to you too Arcee" Jack commented, Arcee just chuckled in response. On their way through the neighborhood, Jack noticed a new family moving in, or at least renting. Who ever the family was, sure had a strange vehicle. It looked like some type of altered white military RV decked out with green details and big flaming 'F's on the sides, the size of it looked like it could rival Bulkhead's. And there in the front yard was teenager, probably two years younger then him by the looks of it, The kid had jet black hair that spiked up in a flowing motion and a cream colored complexion. He wore a white t-shirt adorned with red cuffs, collar and an oval on the chest to top it off while wearing baby blue jeans and red sneakers. The kid took his gaze down from the sky and looked at them before getting a pondering look on his face. There was something different about this kid that gave him a weird feeling. But Jack shrugged it off, nothing was more weird then talking robots that can transform into vehicles.   
  
The kid then left the yard and began walking down the street toward the direction of town. "Something wrong Jack?" Arcee asked.   
  
"Hmm? oh, it was, um, it was probably nothing."  Jack replied while shaking his head to clear his thoughts. Right now, he just wanted to focus on getting to the base as they left population and entered the desert. It took twenty five minutes when they got to their destination. Jack hopped off of Arcee as she transformed into her robotic form.   
  
Jack surveyed the base, Raf and Bumblebee were playing video games as Smokescreen watched while talking something about his 'destiny', Bee ignored him putting all his focus into the game while Raf nodded and said "uh huh." from time to time on the couch. Miko was hanging out with Bulkhead as she explained about some rock band called 'Dumpty Humpty' as she mimicked a guitar solo with her mouth while playing air guitar. Ratchet was checking for any energon signatures or possibly Decepticon activity while Optimus was missing,  _probably on a drive_ Jack thought to himself as he took a seat on the couch with Raf.   
  
"Who's winning?" asked Jack while he looked at the television screen, It's been awhile since he'd seen them playing video games together.  
  
"So far, Bee." Raf replied while pressing buttons on the controller. Jack stole a glance at Bee who had a controller in his hands as well, Jack could tell if Bumblebee had a mouth, he would be grinning right now. Bulkhead's heavy feet could be heard as he walked over to them dropping Miko off, she was planning on using one of Ratchet's tools and pretending that it was a guitar and smash it against the ground like a rock star, Bulkhead immediately removed her from where the tool's were kept before Ratchet blew a gasket. So now she stood there crossing her arms pouting.   
" **Beep whir, blur!** " Bumblebee beeped happily while fist pumping the air, Raf groaned.  
  
"I was so close! I'm almost beat Bee that time!". Bumblebee began whirring and beeping again before holding up two fingers. "Up for a round two?" Raf said uneasily. "No thanks, Bee."   
 **  
"Awww."**  Bee beeped sadly.  
  
"But maybe Smokescreen would go for a round." Raf suggested to him not wanting to see his friend sad, Bee perked up as Raf handed him his controller which Bee then offered to Smokescreen.   
 _Hmmm... Wonder if Smokescreen knows how to play video games._ Jack thought looking up between the two mechs wondering if Smokey would accept or decline. "Uh, I don't know Bee, I'm not really into video games." Smokescreen admitted.  
  
Miko walked up to them with a cheeky expression "what? you afraid your gonna  _lose_ Smokey?" Miko challenged while putting emphasis on the word 'lose'. Smokescreen looked at her for a moment with annoyance before looking back at Bee, who continued to wave it tauntingly, a determined look shined mischievously in his optics as he took the remote.   
  
"Bring it!" Smokey challenged the yellow muscle car before accepting the remote and finding a place to get comfortable. Bee whooped happily before starting a new race and doing the same as the other mech.   
  
It must of been an hour or so before Smokescreen admitted that Bumblebee had won, but everyone one could tell that he was still upset to lose to someone who was younger then him. Arcee was just glad that he had shut up about his 'destiny' that he kept yapping on about, out of everyone, she was the most annoyed with the rookie and Jack was starting to wonder if she was planning on asking Ratchet to take Smokescreen's voice box out.   
Everything that day was quite peaceful, no Decepticon interference, no newly decoded relics, nothing blowing up or Agent Fowler barging in and making some kind of complaint. It was for once a quiet day.   
Hours passed and it was starting to hit sunset, Bulkhead decided to take Miko out of the base due to her being annoying to Ratchet and he didn't want her to wake the youngest members of team prime.  
  
Sometime earlier Smokey requested a rematch with Bee, Bumblebee accepted as they started up a new round. After a while things got really quiet, Jack and Arcee decided to go check on them, they just hoped that Smokescreen didn't get irritated and started to attack Bumblebee with his controller or something. But instead they found both mechs passed out on the floor with the TV still on. Smokescreen was lying down on his side facing the TV with the remote barely in his grasp with a light snore coming from him, Bumblebee was sleeping next to him curled up into a purring ball with the remote just a few inches away from his helm, using Smokescreen's unoccupied arm as a pillow, hugging it tighter if the arm moved. _Huh, didn't know bots can purr._  Just then Miko came out of nowhere.   
  
"Aw sweet! this is gonna be some awesome blackmail for later." Miko commented as a light from her camera phone as it flashed, she waited a bit before taking off snickering darkly no doubt to tell Bulkhead about the picture.  
  
Jack just shook his head while Arcee rolled her optics, "that girl isn't well." Jack added as the Japanese exchange student went out of sight while Arcee just nodded in agreement.    
  
Optimus had finally returned from his drive, he headed into the direction of the medical bay to check in with Ratchet. Evening had struck through the sluggish, uninteresting day, not that he was complaining. Jack now sat on the couch on the lift area, he was so bored he began to count the only interesting events that happened.  
 _Hmmm... Let's see, the fact that Bumblebee totally kicked Smokescreen's tailpipe in video gaming was quite amusing, the aftermath of the rematch, Miko documenting blackmail and probably Optimus's return. Yep, boring day indeed._  
By now Jack had already forgotten about the 'new neighbor' and was relaxing on the couch falling into a peaceful sleep. But before passing out, he couldn't help but get the feeling it was 'the calmbefore the storm' approaching...  
  
 _"*Bulkhead to base! do you copy?*"_  came a rather loud whisper through the com link system. Ratchet opened up Bulkhead's com link frequency and answered his call.  
  
"Yes Bulkhead, loud and clear." Ratchet answered from in front of the monitors.  
  
 _"*Megatron has vehicons hauling carts of freshly mined energon, I require backup, especially since I have Miko with me.*"_  Bulkhead replied.  
  
"Autobots, prepare to roll out." Optimus called, causing Smokescreen to wake up with a start, he tried to get up till he realized something was on his arm, he could always phase his arm out, but then Bee might grab his leg or something.  
  
"Hey Bee, can you get off my arm?" Smokescreen asked poking Bee in the helm. Bumblebee blinked his electric blue optics open and whirred in a slurred tone as he looked up at Smokescreen, Smokescreen nodded to his arm.   
  
Bee noticed he was still laying on the other mech's arm and hurriedly got off, beeping sheepishly  **"oops, sorry Smokescreen."  
  
** Just then they heard Optimus call out to their medic "Ratchet, ready the ground bridge."   
The two youngling's headed off into the area where Optimus was waiting in front of the ground bridge. Arcee came up to the group of awaiting bots just as the ground bridge sprang to life. "Autobots, transform and roll out." Optimus announced transforming into his truck form while the other bots did the same, driving through the swirly energy portal.   
  
  
 Once they'd arrived on scene, Bulkhead was shooting at vehicons left and right, his cannons glowed with another incoming blast before shooting a con right in the face plate.   
The Autobots transformed and rushed to their comrade's side, helping offline anyone of Megatron's forces with their own desired weapon. That's when Arcee noticed something.  
"Bulkhead, where's Miko?" Arcee asked while blasting a con in their chest.  
  
"Up on the ridge, hopefully still hidden." Bulkhead answered her just before a uneasy silence settled between the two of them while the sound of battle drowned out in their audio receptors.  
  
"Bulkhead" Acree announced calmly "you and the whole team knows that Miko doesn't stay still in one place for long, especially when there is a battle going on." Arcee said seriously, showing no emotions on her features, Bulkhead groaned in response before readying his fist and punching another con. There was a five percent chance that Miko was still where she was, unless she was either discovered or she wanted to take pictures, either one of those reasons were very high, they just hope that nothing bad happened to her yet.   
  
The two split up and began blasting more cons out of their paths, but when their enemies came close enough they went into combat against them. Arcee transformed the sides of her arms into blades and began slicing the vehicon, then swiftly kicked the next one in the abdomen, giving out a few grunts with each impact she made.   
Smokescreen teamed up to Bulkhead's side as they both blasted their way through the battle, Bulkhead punched an incoming group of cons in the chassis while others in the jaw, knocking off a few helm's in the process. Smokey assisted with his cannons, aiming for the opposing side in their spark chamber's so they could go offline in a snap.   
Bumblebee had made it to their leader's side as Optimus Prime began firing his plasma cannons while Bee use his guns that fired multiple blast at once. By now the waves of vehicons had thinned and the opposing side's were fighting to death for the prize.  
  
  
"Lord Megatron, it seem's the Autobot's have managed to get through our forces, they are closing in on the energon." A vehicon trooper informed the Decepticon leader. Megatron growled in frustration before grabbing said vehicon and tossing the drone across the battle field to fend for himself. Megatron smiled a bit before thinking.   
 _  
Surely there is a way to bring this battle back into our favor._ He thought darkly upon the cliff where he watched the battle go on from a distance. He was brought out of his musings when Knockout interrupted. "What is it Knockout?" Megatron hissed in annoyance glancing at the scientist.  
  
"Well my liege, it seems that Soundwave has discovered something that might prove as an 'advantage'" The red mech reported as he smirked evilly before indicating to Soundwave who now approached the two, He replayed a live video feed thanks to laser beak scoping the area.   
  
"Hmm." Megatron hummed thoughtfully "It seem's that one of the Autobot's human  _pets_  has ran astray from the protection of her owners." The leader chuckled darkly. "Knockout! fetch me the human pest with no listening skills."  
  
"Yes my liege" Knockout answered before transforming into his vehicle form, driving off into the direction of where the human was.  
  
 _ **Meanwhile at the other side of the battle field...**_  
  
Miko fidgeted in her spot on the ridge, with every blast that rang through the air she had to hold back her excitement so she wouldn't take off down to the battle field. Her guardian Bulkhead, strictly told her to stay where she was, but perhaps it wouldn't hurt to get a  _little_ closer would it?  
  
Just then a gigantic boom filled the air, causing everyone to look up. What they saw was quite puzzling, it looked like an explosion of stars streaked the sky, the sight itself was beautiful. Miko thought it was white stars falling down, but when they came closer it turned out to be little specks of snow.  _Snow? it doesn't snow in Jasper..._ Miko thought quietly before looking back at the cybertronians, the bots looked up at the sky questionably briefly, everything seemed to slow down for a few minutes, but as quickly as it came is began to disappear and thus the bots resumed their battle.   
  
Miko decided after the Auto bots arrived she wanted to get closer in on the action, she had climbed down the ledge and was using the rocky walls for cover. "Time to snap some photo's for the album!" She whispered to herself excitedly, she waited for a con to go by first before making a run for it. Miko jumped behind a huge boulder before snapping open her camera phone and prepared to take some action shots, Miko adjusted the zoom on Arcee as she leaped into the air "three... Two... One..." Miko counted down as Arcee neared the Con below, she snapped the picture just in time as Arcee kicked a con in the face with such force, you could see sparks coming off it's face plate.  She then aimed the camera at Smokescreen as he delivered an uppercut and kick to some cons, Miko was overjoyed as she kept snapping pictures. She raced over to the next photo shoot area, which was a lifeless drone body lied on the ground at a awkward angle, Miko quickly took a picture at his damaged face, after that she walked under the crook of his leg before snapping some pictures at the winning side of the battle. Bulkhead made it over to Bumblebee with his outstretched servos, Bee gave him an odd look before stepping into them, what ever was said was lost to the sound of blaster fire whizzing through out the air. Then Bulkhead launched Bumblebee into the air before assuming with off-lining more cons. Bumblebee via airborne was shooting the cons from above with his blasters. Miko turned to where Optimus was running to the group of unoccupied carts that was loaded with Energon, blasting any approaching cons as they made a futile attempt to reclaim the bounty. Miko readied her phone once more to take a picture of the Autobot leader while his plasma canons shined in the full moon's light. "Three...Two... O-" Miko never got to finish her count down as she was snatched up by a hand with a tight grip.  
  
"Gotcha!" Knockout declared as he held his new prize up to optic level, he watched in glee as the young girl's eyes widen in fear and her flesh paled slightly.  
  
"Let me go!" Miko screamed, she used her non-trapped arms and began pounding on the mental ensnarement while her right hand gripped her phone.   
  
"Time to bring you to lord Megatron, oh he will be so pleased" Knockout announced in a taunting tone before heading back into the direction he came.  
  
"Well done Knockout, it pleases me that you haven't failed me this time" affirmed Megatron as he took the human from Knockout's grasp. He glanced back at the battle field and surveyed the area. A lot of the drones were dead and at least fifteen were still online and fighting, the warlord looked over to where his nemesis Optimus Prime was securing the Energon. "Well let's make sure they don't leave with the spoils, Soundwave, send out more Vehicons, and advance to the heart of the battle." Ordered Megatron before leaving for the area himself. Soundwave proceeded in what he was told to do, there was a task at hand and Megatron won't take failure for an answer.  
  
 **Now back to the Autobots...**  
  
The Autobot's began to form a barrier around Optimus with their guns ready to fire at their foes. There was barley any Deceticons left in sight and Optimus was gonna to prepare for departure in a few minutes, but any thoughts for leaving were cut short when they heard someone cry out.  
   
"Optimus!"   
  
Everyone looked to where the voice came from and to their horror was Miko, in the possession of Megatron. "Optimus, I suggest that you step away from the Energon if you wish for this flesh-ling to live." Megatron advised as he jumped off the cliff and landed in the center of the battlefield, he lifted the girl up to optic level as he showed off his capture.   
  
"You guys don't do it! its a trick!" Miko yelled, trying to push herself free but her holder just strengthen his grip.  
  
"Quiet!" he hissed through his clenched denta. More Vehicons began to appear as they readied their weapons.  
  
"Megatron leave her out of this, she has nothing to do with the previous wars that waged on Cybertron for decades and that on this world." Optimus answered the former glaring optics directed at the mech while his emotions were kept hidden behind his battle mask. Optimus knew that he and his team desperately needed the Energon as the supply was running at a all time low, but at the cost of one of their allies lives was not worth it.  
  
  
"Well if you would like your little human back, just abandon the Energon now and your little  _pet_  will sustain minor injuries." Megatron replied while putting emphasis on the word 'minor', he was enjoying watching the conflict flash through Prime's optics.  
Bulkhead watched Miko in worry, he felt powerless as he waited for his leader's decision. What ever Optimus was going to say was cut off as a new voice hit the tension filled battle field.  
  
"Hey!"  
  
Every cybertronian looked to where the voice originated from and what there saw shocked them.  
 


	2. Nightly encounter

**_~~~~~_ _~~~~~~~_     
  
 _~~~~~_ _~DP~~~~~~_   **  
  
  
After seeing the guy on the motorcycle, Danny headed into the direction of what he presumed to be town, he put his mom's cell phone into his pocket and began walking.   
The walk was uneventful as the twenty minute walk was over when he entered town. There was quite a few stores and restaurants, in which didn't peak his interest. Teenagers walked passed him, some giving him strange looks.  
  
Danny didn't really care though, as long as he wasn't getting beaten up by them or anything he could care less. _Probably looking at me weird because they never seen me before._  The ghost kid thought to himself silently as he kept walking. He spent a good hour or so in town when he realized he hadn't eaten anything at all today. Another group of laughing teens started to come into view.  _Hmm, they look like locals, maybe they know where I could go grab a bite at._  
  
"Hey do you any of you guys know where I can go get something to eat? I-I'm new here." Danny asked while absentmindedly began to scratch the back of his neck, an annoying habit he always tended to do when he was nervous.    
  
The kids looked at each other before the boldest one answered "uh yeah sure, just go straight and make a left at the third street, keep going and there's a burger joint over there, you can't miss it." The blonde haired boy answered while pointing down the street.  
  
"Uh, thanks." Danny nodded with a slight smile as he headed in the pointed the direction. It took five minutes in total to reach the place. "K.O. Burger" Danny said out loud to himself before heading inside the building.  
  
Danny took a 'To Go' burger as he now sat in the park, he asked another local if there was a park around and she gave him directions. So now here he sat on one of the many park benches eating his hamburger with lettuce, ketchup, mustard and cheese. It wasn't a Nasty Burger, but it was still pretty good. Danny took another bite of it before thinking about his friends and what it would be like if there were here.   
  
Tucker most likely would be looking for the arcade while Sam would say that he would need to get started on his training. Ever since the time when he and Dash were shrunk down to the size of an ant, Sam said that he needed to keep his physical fitness and stamina up so he wont be powerless against a ghost if his ghost power's were ever drained or something. "Ugh, gonna have to run some laps in the park." He groaned out loud  before finishing up his lunch. He pulled out his I-pod from his other pocket along with the ear buds. After setting it up he discarded his mess in the nearby trash bin and took off running. He turned on one of 'Dumpty Humpty's' songs on as he resumed his exercise.   
  
After thirty minutes of running, and climbing some of their trees, he felt exhausted, Danny was just glad that he brought a water bottle with him as he chugged it down thirstily.   
He wiped any water that dripped down his face as he pondered on what he should do next, he could always get a better view of the town as Phantom, maybe he could find something to release all of his pent up ecto energy on, it's not like this town is haunted.   
  
The thought of a nap wasn't something he desired since he had been sleeping pretty much on the entire trip, which was a good thing since he didn't really get that much rest anyways because of the constant ghost popping up, and most of the time it was the ever so annoying Box Ghost. Danny was just well rested as his spirit craved for excitement of adventure, but currently this town offered none.  
  
Danny sighed as he glanced up at the sky, he pinpointed the sun's position so he could tell the time. "Wow, it's already six thirty, how had the hours past so fast?" he said to himself with slight smile, he couldn't wait till it got dark to see if the sky was gonna be filled with stars, plus when he got back home he can call Sam and Tucker and see how there are faring without him.   
  
Just then Danny's pocket started vibrating, he looked over and stuck his hand in there pulling out the ringing cell phone. Danny quickly checked the caller ID before answering.  
"Hello?" Danny replied as his voice shook a bit, gosh he hated puberty.  
  
"Oh hello Danny, I was calling to check up on you, how was your day in town?"   
  
Danny sighed in relief as he immediately identified the voice to be his mother's. "Oh, um, I'm pretty good, the town's pretty nice too I guess" he answered while checking his surroundings.  
  
"That's good! oh Danny, we are having meatball subs tonight for dinner, is that okay with you?"   
  
"Yes that sounds great, just as long as they don't come to life and go ballistic." Danny chuckled a bit at his joke, even though it wasn't that funny, it fact he was scared that they would.  
  
"Yes lets hope they don't, I still don't understand why they keep coming to life anyways." Maddie said in a puzzled tone.  
  
"Have you tried  _not_ adding ectoplasm to it?"  
"..."  
  
"..."  
  
"That would explain it! okay dinner is going to be ready by seven, be sure to be home by then!" his mother said in cheery tone "okay bye mom, see you then."   
  
"Bye sweetie." And with that the two hung up. "Well it's probably best that I get home anyways." Danny sighed in boredom before heading back the way he came.  
   
 _ **~~~~~~~~~~~~**_  
  
"Dinner came out delicious mom." Danny said through bites, it was hard not to stop eating when he tasted it. The mozzarella cheese, tomato sauce, and seasoning's flooded his senses as he enjoyed every bite he took.  
  
"Thanks Danny, I'm glad you like it." Maddie said with a smile before taking a bite out of her's as well. Danny's dad didn't say anything as he began to gobble his down in famished bites. "So did anything exciting happen while you were out dear?" Maddie asked after she wiped her mouth with a napkin that once rested next to her plate. Danny shook his head  
  
"Nothing much, I just mostly hung out in the park after getting lunch." He answered, "how about you guys?"  
  
Maddie's grin widened "we set up the portable ghost portal down in the basement!"   
  
Danny almost spat out his food at that, "w-wait... Your telling me we have a portable ghost portal? what about the one back home?"   
  
"Oh it's still there, we just decided to build a portable one just in case." Maddie smiled with excitement "and after dinner, me and your father are going to patrol the town and see if with can pick up any paranormal sightings, unless you would like to come with us?"  
  
the boy's eyes widened a bit before declining "uh no thanks mom I was thinking about hitting some z's -yawn- tonight" Danny answered while stretching his arms a bit before throwing a fake yawn in there for good measure, he really didn't want to be back in that death trap.  
  
"Okay that sounds like a good idea." Maddie nodded in agreement.  
  
A hour passed since dinner was over and his parents left the house. Danny tried to call his friends but neither of them answered, so here he was alone on the roof watching the stars become apparent on the darken sky.   
Danny sighed in loneliness, he wished his friends were here enjoying the cool night stargazing with him, making a few jokes, chatting, or playing a few games, the uneasiness feeling of homesickness churned slightly inside of him, and twenty-four hours haven't even passed yet. The only thing that came to mind that reminded him of home was flying, and if that eased his current depression then he was gonna take a whack out of it.     
  
Danny gazed into the direction of the desert, it seemed the stars were brighter there. Perhaps he should go there, it would give him a chance to finally be in ghost form and release all of the extra ecto energy inside of him.   
"Well it's better then sitting around here anyways, going ghost!" Danny called out his signature battle cry as the familiar icy rings appeared at his mid section before departing ways.   
Danny Fenton no longer stood on the roof of the quiet house, but now Danny  _Phantom,_  adorned in his causal Black jumpsuit with a white belt, collar, gloves and boots to match with a glowing aura. His eyes were no longer baby blue, but ghostly glowing green, his complexion was paler while his raven black hair was now snow white.  
He bent over and picked up his I-pod that he brought up with him earlier and allowed it to be transformed also to match his current attire.   
  
The teen plunged in white ear buds before placing them carefully in his ears, he scrolled through his downloads before selecting a song from his playlist.  
"Well this seems quite fitting for the event" Danny smirked as he let it play, he leaped off the building before defying gravity and taking flight in the night as the Electro Pop music gently filled his ears.  
  
 _  
_ _"Close your tired eyes, relax and then.  
Count from 1 to 10 and open them._  
 _All these heavy thoughts will try to weigh you down, but not this time."_  
  
Danny softly sang the words to the song, mimicking every spoken word by doing it, he closed his eyes, counted and then opened them.  
  
 _"Way up in the air, you're finally free, and you can stay up there, right next to me._  
 _All this gravity will try to pull you down, but not this time."_  
  
Memories of his parents and previous ghost he fought in the past flashed briefly in his mind, what if his parents didn't accept him? what if it was all just an act? after all there was a crowd around when they did and they still wanted to  _dissect_ him anyways? and what if he couldn't protect Amity from the increasing ghost attack's? what if a more powerful ghost attacks them and he can't stop it? what if his dark self returns? but he quietly shook his head to clear the troubling images, flying higher and higher at a break necking speed.  
  
 _"When the sun goes down, and the lights burn out,  
Then it's time for you to shine.  
Brighter than the shooting star, so shine no matter where you are.  
Fill the darkest night, with a brilliant light,  
'cause it's time for you to shine._  
 _Brighter than a shooting star, so shine no matter where you are, tonight."_  
  
Danny stopped flying and began to drop, watching the stars become brighter as he descended further and further, another memory flashed in his mind as he remembered a new ability he acquired over the past winter, his smile broaden, maybe he should try to do it? it would release a fair amount of energy so he could sleep tonight. He helped speed up the process by increasing his speed, his legs merged into a wispy tail to soar faster, he looked like a black and white bullet slicing through the night.  
  
The wind whipped into his face harshly, his body began to absorb the cold air as his ghost core pumped madly in his chest, he could feel the adrenaline pumping through every vein in his body telling him to stop, but he continued anyways.  
  
 _"Whoa, whoa, whoa.  
Brighter than a shooting star,  
_ _Shine no matter where you are, tonight.  
_  
 _Gaze into my eyes, when the fire starts,  
And fan the flame so hot, it melt our hearts._  
 _All the pouring rain, will try to put it out, but not this time."_  
  
His eyes glowed brighter, he could literately feel the energy burning off them as they adjusted to the cold winds that continued to hit his face much more intense by the second like his heart rate, ground force was coming in fast, approximately one point forty one seconds before impact, but he could be wrong, he wasn't all that great with math. Danny just needed to increase his momentum for he was already seeing sparks flying off his body.  
  
 _"Let your colors burn, and brightly burst, into a million sparks, that all disperse and illuminate a world,  
That'll try to bring you down,_  
 _But not this time."_  
  
Ice and bits of ecto energy were spiraling around him now, the ice reminded him of tiny stars trailing off his form and disappearing into the night, his aura glowed brighter by the second, his body grew more tense as the wind howled loudly in his ears when his ear buds popped out due to the acceleration.  _Okay, its now or never!_ the thought screamed in his head immediately as he pulled up so fast he was a black blur.  
  
 ** _Boom!_**    
  
The sonic boom rang as Danny broke the sound barrier, a reckless speed came upon him as he flew across the sky like a glowing comet, streaking it with stars and leaving snow to fall in his wake.  
  
"Oh my gosh... I-I can't believe I did it!" Danny whooped happily grinning broadly as he watch the snow trailing off his form like stars, he really did look like a comet with his aura intensifying to add to the affect, even with his current happiness he was still extremely shaky from it. Every thing was rushing past his face as the ability took its course, he knew once he finally came to a stop that he would finally be able to get to sleep that night, he tried to sleep earlier but since he was sleeping pretty much the entire time on the trip his energized body refused to comply to the mere thought of sleep.   
  
Danny could still feel the smile plastered on his face, with or without his friends here he would have to make the best of it, and if it meant spending a lot of his energy then so be it.   
A few minutes have passed before he was able to fly at a normal speed again and he also realized how far away from the town he was. There was nothing moving in sight as Danny shoved his ear buds and I-pod onto the clip Tucker made on the thermos.  
  
Danny floated silently lost in his thoughts, he didn't hear the sound of approaching jets in till they were right up on him. Danny yelped as he felt his heart lurch in his throat, flying above the large group of fighter planes as fast as he could to get.   
  
"Hey! watch where your going!" Danny called out to the passing jets "Pfft, butt-wads" he muttered. Just then the jets turned around towards  _his_  direction, with blazing cannons. "Oh crud" Danny whispered feeling a sweat drop.  Danny took off at top speed in attempt to ditch the fighter jets, there was no way he was going to injure people or get in trouble with military for that matter, it is bad enough he has the Guys in White always trying to blast him down, he doesn't need to add to it.  
  
Blaster fire whizzed past Danny's ear "yikes! there's gotta be a place to hide somewhere!" more blasts were shot as Danny effectively dodged everyone, a few of them almost hit close to home and the ghost teen was becoming more nervous. Danny swiveled left, another blast shot past. Danny was mulling over his options until something caught his eye.  
  
"A canyon? hopefully that would provide enough cover." Danny said to himself before taking off faster. As he neared his hiding place he knew he had to deceive them, Danny began summing his ice powers into a huge block of ice as he positioned it above him. He heard the familiar hum of the cannon charging up. He had to time this just right if he wanted to get out of there.  
  
The shot was fired as it hummed through the air, every second nearing it's intended target, the hair on the teen's neck rose slightly at the incoming danger as his heart beat rapidly in his cheat and his breath hitched slightly.  _Three, two, one...  
  
_ Danny immediately ditched the chunk of ice and took off as fast as his remaining energy would allow him too as the plasma blast hit the decoy. An explosion of ice shards flew everywhere, the jets circled the area for a few minutes before flying off into a different direction, possibly satisfied with their little accomplishment.   
  
Danny waited a few minutes before coming out, he was still hesitant as he carefully scoped his surroundings.   
Where ever he was he was miles away from where he and his family were staying. Danny sighed heavily as floated onward, he was gonna have to gain his energy back after that little skirmish.   
  
It wasn't until fifteen minutes later that he heard blaster fire again, causing him to tense up. The sound of a battle was extremely loud to his ears due to them being so sensitive to sound.   
  
Curiosity getting the better of him as he floated faster to investigate. What he saw left him in fan-boy type of awe. "No freaking way!" he said excitedly feeling his eyes go wide at the sight. There was a giant robot battle going on in the canyon! "Oh man I wish Tucker was here! he would totally be drooling!"   
  
A childish excitement was flowing through him as he watched on as he landed. Was this some type of build a robot and battle to death type of thing? if so then whoever built them is really experienced.   
  
Danny watched as the yellow bot was tossed up into the air by the bulky green one giving it an air advantage. Danny glanced over and saw a giant red and blue robot running up to some carts and guarding them.   
  
Danny didn't know what the glowing gem things were but he didn't really care to find out. Purple and electric blue detonations sliced through the air making 'pew pew' noises. The battle went on until some of the robots that had more of a unique design to them started to form a barrier around the tall red and blue one.  
  
it continued for five minutes before everyone stopped what they were doing when a voice called out, Danny whipped his head in the other direction to see a silver titan that made his blood churning into ectoplasm run cold.  
  
 "Optimus!"   
  
Everyone that was forming a barrier looked to where the voice came from, complete shock was shown when they saw what he had.  _Huh, never thought robots could show emotions._  
  
"Optimus, I suggest that you step away from the Energon if you wish for this flesh-ling to live." The silver titan advised as he jumped off the cliff and landed in the center of the battlefield, he lifted the girl up to optic level as he showed off his capture.   
 _  
Wait a second... Is that a_ person _that thing has?_  Danny squinted a bit before rubbing his eyes,  _yeah I think it is._  
  
"You guys don't do it! its a trick!" the person yelled, it sounded like a female trying to push herself free as his sensitive hearing picked up low grunts.   
  
"Quiet!" her captor hissed through his clenched what Danny presumed was metal teeth. More creepy robots began to appear as they readied their weapons.  _And I'm guessing this is the enemy..._  
  
"Megatron leave her out of this, she has nothing to do with the previous wars that waged on Cybertron for decades and that on this world." The red and blue robot answered the former glaring optics directed at the evil machine.   
  
"Well if you would like your little human back, just abandon the Energon now and your little  _pet_  will sustain minor injuries."  _Okay, whoever this thing is is a major_ _physco, better put an end to this before this gets out of hand.  
  
_ "Hey!" he shouted gaining everyone's attention, the pure look of 'what the heck' type of surprise was evident on their faces making it hard for him to hold back a witty remark or pun but he managed to bite back his tongue, there was a serious situation at hand that if it goes wrong, a innocent would be harmed and the teenager did not want that on his conscious.  
  
"Put the girl down." growling through clenched teeth, glaring at the girl's captor with pure malice that he was not afraid to unleash upon him if he did not comply. The silver titan regarded him, the cold murderous blood red eyes swirled ominously making Danny want to shrink back in fear, the only thing giving him courage and not falter his front was of the knowledge of the girl in danger and the fact that he defeated a lot of his enemies leading up to Pariah Dark, instead his scowl grew deeper.  
  
A plan began to form in his head, there were a few flaws in it but he would deal with that road bump once he got there. He kept his glare from faltering before proceeding to cross his arms, the annoyance was made present since the robot was obviously ignoring his request, instead, which didn't really surprise Danny in the least, the silver bot started laughing in a mocking tone.  
  
"Optimus I see you've adopted another pet, your just finding them on the side of the road nowadays aren't you? you just can't seem to help yourself seeing that you got three already."  
  
Danny resisted the urge to roll his eyes and fly over and punch him in the face, instead he thought better of it, he needed to have the element of surprise and knock this sucker's confidence down a notch   
  
"okay first of all, I'll be like an action figure compared to you guys, second: I don't even know ANY of you-"he then pointed to the little group that was still at gun point"- but I guessing those guys are the good-guys, and third: the whole 'pet' deal"-making air quotes with his fingers-"is just  _really_ creeping me out and I've seen a lot of disturbing stuff so far, not to mention your face." Danny listed off letting his fingers to go up with everything he listed to give it more of an effect, he began to smirk as he threw that last jab in there for good measure.  
  
Before Optimus and his team could react, Megatron lifted up his unoccupied arm which happen to have the enormous cannon on it and fired, leaving a smoldering crater where Danny used to be.  
  
Megatron turned around to face the Auto-bots again a sicking sadistic grin greeted them in return, now that annoyance was out of the way he was gonna presume in his earlier conversation, but before he could do that some one cut him off.  
  
"Seriously dude, did you just  _shoot_ at me because your feelings were hurt or you have mental issues? I can't really tell either way because- pfft, you have lousy aim." Danny managed to get out through stifled laughter causing Megatron's head to immediately whip around, he ignored the muffled laughter that was coming from some of the Auto-bots and human and saw that Danny had some how gotten on his arm without him noticing, the same arm he had his captive in.  
  
"Now if you would excuse me, this citizen comes with me." It all happened so fast that the Auto-bots wasn't even for sure if they actually saw it. In a split second Danny sucker punched Megatron in the jaw with such force causing him to stumble, he then proceeded with grabbing Miko's arm and some how fazed out of Megatron's grip flew upwards carrying her bridal style, leaving the Auto-bots gobsmacked, Arcee, Bulkhead and Smokescreen opted to having their mouths agape, unknown to them Danny just turned Miko and himself intangible. Snapping their selves out of their stupor they noticed the distracted Vehicons and took the opportunity to attack and offline them, By then Megatron got back up, growled in anger and started firing again.  
  
"Hi! I'm Miko! whats your name? oh my gosh, are we flying?! how did we get away from Megatron? do you have your own phase shifter? how did you not get blown up? does my breath smell weird?" the girl now known as Miko-  _Miko... is that a dog's name?-_  asked before blowing her breath in Danny's face causing him to cough as his face scrunched up in disgust. While coughing Danny carefully mulled over her questions and chose not to answer a couple of them.  
  
"Um, my name? Danny, Danny Phantom. Megatron? what kind of name is that? anyways I turned us intangible and I have no idea what a phase shifter is, and yes, your breath reeks! what have you been eating? ever hear of a tooth brush?" replied Danny with his face scrunched up in a mix of concern and on the verge of vomiting "anyways who are these guys?" motioning to the battling bots, Miko tighten her grip around Danny's neck before answering, a grin was present as she conversed   
  
"Oh them? they are the Decepticons; the bad guys, while those guys over there-" she pointed out with her free hand-" are the Auto-bots, also known as the good guys. Hey! you should totally come back to base and meet Ratchet! he is a grumpy old ambulance with wrench throwing issues-"  
  
"-Wait, did you just say ambulance? how can an ambulance throw stuff?"  
  
"Oh yeah! I forgot! those Cybertronian's can transform into vehicles! isn't that cool?" Miko said excitedly as she waved her hand across the field in a unceremonious  manner.  
  
"What the heck are Cybertronian's?" Danny asked in confusion, it felt like with every answer was followed by another question.    
  
"Oops, well it's sorta classified information, I'm actually not supposed to be telling you this stuff." Danny gave her a weird look, one thing he knew for certain was she was one of the last people he wanted to find out his secret if she babbling out secrets at the moment.   
  
"And you told me this much so far?" sarcasm lacing every word.  
  
"Well if Optimus wants you to come back to base then I'm sure I can tell you the rest then." She smiled causing Danny to face palm. The sound of blaster fire flew past him making him experience déjà vu. _  
  
Oh look! my friends have returned! _he thought sarcastically, it was the same jets from earlier that were trying to shoot him down, and as it turns out, those jets were Decepticons in disguise.   
  
Danny flew over to where a ledge near the Auto-bots was and set Miko down "Okay stay here, these jerks need a lesson in butt kicking."   
  
Miko pouted and crossed her arms "no way dude! I want in on the action!" bouncing up and down and forming her hands into fist making punching motions. Danny sighed in annoyance "um no, how about we don't and say we did. Besides, who just saved your butt from that silver pyshco?" Miko groaned and remained silent "that's what I thought, and if you leave this spot when there is no danger... Well- uh... Your gonna regret it!" Danny declared jabbing a finger in her direction, in reality he couldn't think up a decent threat, his mind was a blank. Danny absconded upwards and entered the fray as Miko watched in awe.  
  
Danny flew directly at a Vehicon and punched it's head off, before his hands began to glow green, Miko briefly wondered why until the answer presented itself leaving her gasping out the word "whoa!"  
  
Ecto blast after ecto blast Danny fired, followed by furious punches and kicks, a dodge here, a dodge there then an uppercut. A Vehicon jumped right behind Danny about to strike, but Danny immediately whipped around and fired a strong blast right into it's spark chamber, it fell to the ground with a mighty clang and its optics dimmed to nothing. Since his thermos wasn't gonna work on these things he needed to take them out.   
  
Two more Vehicons appeared on either side on Danny, raising their blasters as they hummed to life, the glowing teen ducked just in time as both blast fired, unfortunately for the shooters the opposite blast hit the other instantly killing them. "See? this is why we can't have nice things!" Danny quipped before flying off towards the Autobots, his side of the field was full of dead metal bodies he might as well help them out.   
 _  
**~~~~~~TFP~~~~~~  
  
**_ Bumblebee ducked then punched other con, he had no time to wonder about that odd glowing human, heck he wasn't even for sure it was human!  
Arcee ran up beside him "I got your back!" Bee nodded as they stood back to back firing at their opponents, good thing Vehicons didn't last long, they just don't make them like they used to nowadays.  
  
Bumblebee stole a glance at his teammates, Optimus and Megatron were going head to head, throwing punches as they battled. Smokescreen was kicking the cons in their aft's and blasting them yelling something that he couldn't hear over the sound of blasts. Bulkhead was abaft to the group abolishing their enemies with his might and his cannon fire, Bee refocused ahead of him as and blasted a few more incoming.  
  
"Hey is there anything I can do to help?" Bee's helm immediately looked down to where he detected the echo-y voice, there floating next to his hip was the kid who saved Miko, Bumblebee was still awestruck as the human defied gravity and flew up to his face, electric light blue optics met the ghostly green eyes.  
  
" **On your right! duck!"** Bee whirred out but mentally face palmed as he remembered that no one besides Raf could understand him, but he was taken aback when the boy ducked as asked and Bee blasted the threat in the chest. "Thanks for the warning." the teen grinned before firing at some more cons.   
  
Bee could feel his optics widen a bit,  _did he just understand him?_ but Bumblebee briefly shook his head, it was probably just a fluke.  _How can he produce his own energy blast? normal humans can't do that..._ The thought popped up in his processor as the glowing figure kept firing bright streams of energy out of his hands. Bumblebee had been on earth longer then anyone of his comrades have been, and never in his time of being here has he encountered such a strange phenomenon, it seemed like something out of those human science fiction movies or comic books.  
  
He had to admit though, the kid had spunk and was funny, both of those things sadly Megatron would now want to crush, Bee would know since he experienced it first hand as his voice box briefly came to mind making him shudder. Bumblebee turned around from shooting a con to hear fast approaching thuds.  _Great, here come's Knockout with his little lighting rod, oh joy, praise primus._ The red mech was coming straight at him twirling his Energon prod between his servos like a cheerleader would do with a baton.   
  
Bumblebee waited until he came close enough and ducked before he could electrocute him, Knockout's momentum made him stumble and Bee took the chance to swipe his legs from under him before proceeding with a back flip which landed a solid kick to his opponents upper torso, causing him to fall on his aft. Knockout seemed outta of it for a few nano-clicks, but he snapped out of it once he realized the scraps littering his chest causing him to gasp.   
  
"My finish! do you realize how hard it is fix that!? oh of course you don't, seeing as you Auto-bots look like pieces of scraped up scrap!" Knockout spat glaring daggers at the yellow and black scout.   
 _ **  
Clang!  
**_  
Knockout fell sideways as Arcee side kicked him to the helm, Bumblebee noticed the annoyed expression on her features as she scowled at the fallen CMO. The battle field was growing thin as the Auto-bots and glowing teenager bombard the enemy with either plasma or energy blasts.  
  
The scout glanced over in worry as he heard the boy let out a muffled cry before he collided to the ground with an audible thud, three Vehicons were on him in astro-second's, creating a dog-pile as they leaped on him, after what seemed like a mega-cycle, the familiar green energy blasted through the cons before the teen emerged.   
  
There were barely any cons left, there were probably six Vehicons still fighting, Knockout just barely while edging closer to retreating and Megatron and Optimus were still in combat. That was until that fateful moment where Megatron landed an impacting blow against Prime's chassis, knocking him a few yards away. Megatron pulled out his sword in his arm as he strode over to his arch rival. "Prepare to meet your doom Optimus!" announced Megatron as he raised his saber in the air about to deliver the killing blow.  
  
"No!"  
  
The flying teen absconded to Optimus side in a second before grasping their leader's arm. Megatron drew the sword down right through Optimus spark chamber only to immediately retract it, it didn't do any damage! It was that annoying little fleshling's doing by the looks of it, he was starting to become a real pain in his back side. Seeing that he couldn't touch Optimus nor the child that was still clinging to his arm like his life depended on it, Megatron called back a retreat.  
  
"Decepticons! Retreat! you may have won this skirmish Optimus due to your  _little_ advantage, but next time we encounter only I, Megatron, leader of the Decepticons shall come out on top!" with that a ground bridge opened up behind him and he and the remaining cons ran through it with Knockout trailing close behind. Soundwave must have gone back to the Nemesis seeing that he was no where around.   
  
 ** _~~~~~_ _~DP~~~~~~_     
  
**Danny clung to the crimson and royal blue Cybertronian with his eyes shut tightly, he didn't know how long he had been hugging Optimus's arm for, but he didn't want to let go in case he either got blasted or sliced so he kept the intangibility up.   
  
As far as Danny could tell, Optimus was a really good guy and he knew he would feel terrible if was killed. All of the sudden the arm moved, lifting up a bit was what it felt like.  
  
"Excuse me."  
  
Danny opened an eye at the voice, his eye met Optimus's optics, he couldn't see Optimus's mouth so he had no idea if he was happy with him or not, but the serious tone made him a bit nervous "Y-yes?" Danny stuttered, he really hated when his voice did that.  
  
Optimus must have sensed his uneasiness "I would like to thank you for your assistance with battling the Decepticons, you saved my life and for that I am grateful." Optimus replied in a soft tone, Danny released the breath he didn't realize he was holding as his grip around Prime's arm loosened a bit and the intangibility was beginning to fade away.   
  
"Your welcome, it was no big deal, I just happened to be nearby when I heard the conflict going on." Danny admitted shrugging his shoulders a bit, his vision shifted to scope his surroundings as he noticed that the Decepticon's were no longer around and Optimus's team was approaching, none of them seemed to be injured besides the minor scrapes and dent's that was present. He made a mental note to go over his own injuries later.  
  
Danny realized he was still holding the Prime's arm and let it go with a sheepish look on his face, "uh sorry about that, but I gotta get going, it was nice meeting you sir." Danny ascended upwards with the remaining energy he had left and headed off in the many miles that was soon to be town.  
  
Danny could of swore he heard a faint 'wait!' but he was to tired to think about it, he didn't want to end up passing out in front of them in his weaken state, they would most likely take him to Clockwork knows where and his parents might be home by now and wondering where he is.  
  
It was going to be a long trip back.  
  
 _ **~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
**_ When Danny finally made it back home he felt like he could pass out at any second, surprisingly enough his parents weren't back yet as he landed in his room as the transformation rings came immediately with out with out much thought. After a relaxing warm shower that cleaned off all the sweat he accumulated all day and brushed his teeth, he put on a clean pair of his salmon pink pajamas fell back on to his substitute mattress and fell asleep upon impact, the soreness of his muscles seemed to melt away as he enter the dream world.  
  
 _ **~~~~~~~~~~~~**_


	3. Finding Phantom

_**~~~~~~~~~~~~  
~~~~~~TFP~~~~~~  
  
**_Everyone remained quiet when the child disappeared into the night, Optimus had called out a bit too late since the boy was most likely out of hearing range. Bumblebee watched on in silence as Optimus called Ratchet over the comm.link requesting for a bridge.  
  
Bumblebee was actually a bit surprise that they were victorious for the energon spoils, it was hardly ever they won the fight when energon was involved, mostly it was because they were either outnumbered or some bot fired an unlucky shot thus blowing up the mined fuel.   
  
The transportation vortex swirled into existence as it appeared not to far away from the carts of energon. The group of Autobots walked over to haul them through, there were four carts in total filled to the brim with the substance, Bulkhead, Arcee, Smokescreen and himself all grabbed a cart to push.  
  
 The sudden sound of rocks tumbling caught Bee's attention as his helm snapped up to see Miko clambering down the rocky hillside to join them, a small smile was gracing her lips as she fell into stride with Bulkhead.  
  
Everyone walked through the ground bridge, Arcee went through first while Optimus remained abaft to the group to ensure that everyone made it through safely. After the quick flash of bright white light, the base came into view as well as the faces of those who remained behind. Bee took notice of the complete surprise on Ratchet's faceplate "I'm taking that the mission was a success." Ratchet asked, but it was more of a statement then a question. After everyone made it through safely, Raf shut down the ground bridge from his laptop and grinned happily when he saw his guardian was alright aside from the scratches and dents.   
  
Optimus Prime nodded "indeed Ratchet, though with the help from an unexpected source."   
  
Ratchet raised an optic ridge at that, implying for some one to elucidate. That someone was Miko as she ran to the front of the group "you should have seen him Doc bot! he totally kicked the cons tailpipes after delivering a punch to Megatron's big ugly grill!" announced the Japanese girl excitedly, recalling the battle vividly.  
  
Ratchet became more puzzled, especially of the part regarding the Decepticon leader. "Him? him who?"  
  
Miko hadn't really expounded all that well in Bumblebee's opinion, she had left out a lot of information especially on the part on how she got captured in the first place.  
  
Arcee stepped forward and retold what happened during the battle, leading up to the part where Miko got captured causing the girl to pout. The femme paused gaining a suspenseful feeling over the room before continuing reaching the part when 'he' appeared.  
  
"I couldn't really get a good look at him since the clouds rolled over the moon, but I could see something with a white glow to it." Arcee crossed her arms over her chassis, the others nodded in silent agreement stating the same thing. Arcee told the rest of the story. Ratchet remained silent as he contemplated the information. It was unheard of for humans to have supernatural abilities that were reported, he would of waved it off as if they imagined it but all of them saw what happened.   
  
"So what happened when he saved Miko?" Ratchet asked.  
  
Now that Bumblebee thought about, what  _did_  happen with Miko? everyone shrugged in response " **why don't you ask her?** " he suggested through whirs and beeps. Bulkhead nodded before asking Miko if the glowing teenager said anything that might be important.  
  
Miko rocked back and forth on the balls of her heels "well he did mention his name." Miko answered hesitantly, by the looks of it she wasn't for sure if the information would be helpful.   
  
"And that is?" Smokescreen voiced the question everyone was thinking out loud.   
  
"His name is Danny Phantom."   
  
The base took on a awkward silence once the answer sank in, now everyone can stop referring to the boy as 'him'. Optimus was the first to break the uncomfortable silence. "Take the energon to the energon vault, we will continue this discussion afterwards." Optimus advised to his soldiers and scout who nodded in turn as they did as they were asked.  
  
  
 _ ** ** _~~~~~_ _~~~~~~~_     
  
****_They returned shortly after their task was done and Optimus walked out of the med bay as Ratchet finished running diagnostics on the Prime to ensure he hadn't obtained any internal injuries. Upon noticing their return, Ratchet motioned for him to come over to scan him as well, knowing there was no use in protesting, Bee walked over anyways and sat down on the medical berth that the medic was currently hovering over.  
  
The holographic light from the scanner ran over him, the feeling it gave off when it scanned through felt like little ice particles dancing through him in a ticklish shiver.   
Bumblebee's gaze shifted from Ratchet to Optimus as their leader addressed them.   
  
"Given the circumstances that transpired today, I believe it is best if we find Danny Phantom." Everyone nodded in agreement except Arcee.   
  
"Wait, so were bringing  _another_  human to the base?" skepticism edging her tone.   
  
Optimus held her in his gaze "I believe that Phantom would serve as a valuable ally, but he could be in danger, knowing Megatron would no doubt be searching for him already, for now, our objective is to find him before the Decepticons do and convince him to join our side. "  
  
Ratchet finished up his scan on him and Bumblebee happily leaped off the berth. "Alright, your free to go, nothing but a few dents and scratches." Ratchet waved his next patient over who happened to be Arcee.   
  
"I'll contact agent Fowler in the morning and see if he has any Intel on Phantom, Rafael-" Prime directed his gaze at the youngest human on team prime.-"Can you find any information on him in the meantime in case contacting agent Fowler wields no results?"   
  
Raf nodded his head in confirmation, "sure, but it is getting late and my parents may be worrying about where I am." Concern laced his tone as he glanced at the time displayed on one of the monitors, it read ten fifty-nine; way past curfew.  
  
"Very well, Bumblebee, please ensure that Raf and Miko make it home safely." Optimus said to his yellow and black scout.   
  
Bee gave him a thumbs up " **sure thing, come on Raf, Miko**." Bumblebee chirped in response. He transformed into the Urbana 500 Camaro while his armor shifted into place. He opened his passenger door; Miko ran over and hopped in the back seat before pulling the front one forward. Raf settled in the passenger one and buckled in, he shut the door before rolling the window down.   
  
"Bye guys, see you tomorrow." His charge waved to the group.   
  
"Bye Bulkhead!" called Miko leaning closer to see her guardian. She was some what upset that Bulkhead wasn't the one taking her back to her host parents house, but since Bulkhead had yet to be scanned for injuries, Bumblebee was selected to go in the ex-wrecker's place.  
  
Jack on the other hand didn't need to be home so soon since June; Jack's mom, knew of their existence. Bumblebee drove out through the main entrance, entering the quiet dessert of Nevada.  
  
The drive back to civilization was quiet, which was surprising since Miko was with them, instead she was staring into the night, deep in thought.   
   
Bumblebee decided to break the silence, even if it was with the electronic beeps and chirps that came from what was left of the scout's voice box.   
  
" **Hey what's wrong with Miko? she is normally not this quiet, actually hardly ever quiet.** " The series of beeps and clicks filled the cab snapping the children out of their daze. Raf turned around and peered at the girl in question, she appeared to be thinking about something.   
  
"Miko, Bee wants to know why you haven't said a word since we left the base, is something bothering you?" Raf asked. Her highlighted pink tipped pigtails swished from side to side as she shook her head.   
  
"Nah, I'm just thinking about D-P."   
  
 _D-P?_  Bee thought silently  _what does that stand for?  
  
_ Raf seemed to pick up on his guardian's question as he voiced it, if not only for his own sake given the bug-eyed expression he wore. Miko let out a small groan "uh duh, Danny Phantom." She replied like in was the most obvious answer ever. "Anyways, you should of seen the way he took out all those cons, he was like some kind of superhero! he can fly, go intangible and shoot weird green energy blast, If I had those powers I'll be able to help the Autobots demolish Decepticons." Determination blazed vividly in her hazel eyes at the the thought.   
  
Raf nodded before a question came to mind "what if there were downsides to them?"  
  
Miko paused in her dream world and thought about it. "Well if there  _were_ , I'm pretty sure I can handle it." She said with a shrug. "I am a  _Wrecker_ after all." Miko grinned brightly aiming a thumb to her chest as she did so.  
  
" **We're here.** " Bumblebee called out to them, beeps and buzzes filled their ears.   
  
Raf translated before looking out the window; Miko's host parent's house met his eyes. An audible groan from the backseat filled the yellow and black racing striped muscle car. "Were here already? scrap, well bye guys I'll see you tomorrow."  
  
Raf leaned forward with the seat so Miko could climb out. The yellow and black passenger striped door swung open allowing her departure, Raf waved goodbye and she mimicked the gesture. Trotting up the steps of her house and entering using the spare key she had and disappeared from sight when the door closed behind her. Raf closed the door before readjusting his seat. Bumblebee drove off to their next destination which was Raf's house.   
  
After getting there, his charge got out, bid each other goodnight and departed their separate ways, Raf waved drowsily as a yawn escaped his mouth, he went inside to get some much needed sleep.  
  
The drive back to base was uneventful, when he arrived Arcee was gone, _most likely taking Jack back home_ he thought as he transformed into bi-pedal mode, gaze shifting to take in his surroundings. Ratchet was still in the med bay putting his tools away, Optimus was on monitor duty, Bulkhead was no where to be seen, but if he had to guess the former Wrecker was either in the wash racks or possibly in recharge. Something white caught his optic, he looked to his left to see Smokescreen leaning up against the wall, he had a pout on his faceplate while staring staring at the floor.  
  
 _What's his problem?_  the scout silently wondered, maybe he should go over and see? and that's exactly what he did. " **Hey Smokey, what's up?** "  
  
'Smokey' a nickname that he and the children came up with since a lot of the Autobot residences had one. Smokescreen looked up at him "that 'Phantom' kid is what's up." Smokescreen huffed in an annoyed tone.  
  
This left Bumblebee confused. " **Phantom? what did he do to make you upset**?"Bee asked, unconsciously cocking his helm to the side, his door wings perked up a bit as he waited for the other mech's answer.   
  
"He stole my gig that's what!" Smokescreen threw his arms up in exasperation. Complete silence settled between them, only the sound of the monitors running occupied the air.   
  
" **Smokescreen...-** " he drawled out " **-what in the pit are you talking about**?" Bee asked him slowly, he was starting to question if his friend was delusional.   
  
"He's able to walk through objects without a phase shifter! that was my signature!" Smokescreen whined lifting up said phase shifter that was still on his arm.   
  
Bumblebee didn't know what to say, Smokescreen is complaining about something so small, he was making a mountain out of a mole hill as the human term says. " **You know what? I'm gonna go recharge. Smokescreen, I think you need therapy or something.** " and with that Bee left to his quarters, he was tired and Smokescreen was adding to it, he climbed up onto his berth and curled up for some sleep.  
  
  
 _ ** ** _~~~~~_ _~DP~~~~~~_   ****_  
  
Light filtered in through the windows, landing on the sleeping fourteen year old's closed eyes, he twitched slightly before rolling over in attempt to avoid the waking world. Birdsong filled his ears, he unconsciously reached for his pillow and covered his ears.   
  
Danny silently cursed his advanced hearing as the birdsong continued loudly to his ears. He sat upright in bed, yawning as he did so. Danny's eyes hesitantly opened to meet black and soft golden light. He raked his fingers through his messy raven-black hair until it became his usual spiked hairdo. Getting up from the comfort of his bed he walked over to his personal bathroom to brush his teeth and rid himself of morning breath. Danny got dressed in his usual attire, made his bed and sat on it.   
  
He felt like he was forgetting something, eyes drifting across the room to land on the cell phone still charging. That's right! he still had to call his friends in Amity. After getting up and grabbing his cellphone, he sat down once again on the bed and dialed Sam's number, she would most like be up right now taking care of her plant's.  
  
It rang five times before Sam finally picked up. "Hello?"   
  
"Hi Sam, I made it to Jasper."  
  
"Hi Danny, that's good to hear, how are you fairing without us?"  
  
Danny shrugged, even though his friend couldn't see it. "I'm alright, a little tired but alright, how about you? is Tucker there?"  
  
"I'm good, no Tucker isn't here right now, he's having breakfast at his house at the moment. By the way have you been practicing those training exercises I've been training you? you better not have been slacking off." Sam said, her voice stern.  
  
"Yeah I have. Alright Sam I have to go, I wanted to check up on you guys to see if you guys were alright, but I haven't eaten anything yet and I'm starting to become lightheaded, tell Jazz and Tucker I said hi." Being half ghost meant he burnt quite a lot of energy faster, so when he did eat he had to eat a bit more then his normal portion.   
  
After saying their goodbyes they hung up, something was hitting his nose and it smelled delicious.  _Must mean Mom is up_ he thought, placing his phone is his pocket he opened his room door and descended down the flights of steps.  
  
Danny's mother was in the kitchen making what appeared to be french toast, and since he didn't see anything glowing yet, he felt it was safe to assume that his mom remembered the 'not adding ectoplasm' information from yesterday. "Good morning mom." Danny addressed her, she turned around to face him.  
  
"Oh good morning sweetie, sleep well?" Maddie asked from her place at the stove, she reached over and grabbed a plate from the open cup board, while with her other hand used the spatula to scoop out the french toast.   
  
Danny nodded as he sat down at the table, he looked around and noticed something "hey um, where's dad?"  
  
"Oh your father is tinkering with something in the basement, he gonna come up when he's done. Would you like some french toast?" his mother offered showing him the plant she had. Danny nodded as his stomach rumbled with agreement causing the teen to blush a light shade of pink. Maddie laughed good naturally before placing the plate down in front of him. Danny gave her a quick thanks as he poured some maple syrup over his breakfast, grabbing a fork that was on the table he dug in, placing the warm substance in his mouth, the flavor danced on his tongue as the corner's of his mouth twitched upwards forming a grin.  _Another mouth watering meal, mom's on a roll!_    
  
 _ ** ** _~~~~~_ _~~~~~~~_  ****_  
  
After breakfast was over and thanking his mother a billion times on how great it was, Danny headed out to explore the neighborhood, since he did the town yesterday it seemed only fair if he did the neighborhood also.  
Danny walked on shoving his hands into his pockets. He had only seen little of Nevada so far and that was including that time when he came here with his friends with the whole 'reality gauntlet' thing.   
  
After awhile he heard the familiar rumble of a motorcycle, he turned to see a garage with the motorcycle he saw yesterday with the same guy.  _Huh, I guess this is where that guy lives._  Danny mused as he continued his walk. It was sweltering out but it didn't really bother him because of his ghost core was ice. The cryokinesis inside of him cooled him in small bursts cooling him off instantly.   
  
He hated really hot elements like volcano temperature hot, last time he experienced that kind of heat it felt like he was melting. But of course if he didn't use his cryokinesis ability every so often, the coldness would take over him and make him a shivering mess or worse.   
  
Danny shook his head to clear his thoughts, he didn't leave the house to think about that right now. A sudden blare of a car horn entered his sensitive ears causing him to jump, but a sudden soreness made itself known on his side causing him to hiss in discomfort. Danny grabbed the bottom of his shirt and pulled it up; to reveal a bruise that was two times bigger then his hand.  _How the heck did I get that?_  he wondered as he inspected the bruise, prodding it slightly only to cause himself to flinch.   
  
Danny's eyes widen as memories flooded into his head: being shot at, giant robots, girl in that silver monstrosity hand who he saved afterwards, getting blasted at  _again_ , getting dog-piled on and saving the good team's leader. Yup, that pretty much sums it up to why he is sore... All over, how did he not notice?   
  
Danny sighed, it was probably best if he went home and rested until his healing abilities kicked in, and that is what he did.    
  
 _ ** ** _~~~~~_ _~TFP~~~~~~_    
  
****_Raf was typing away on his laptop, searching for information on Danny Phantom. Bumblebee stood behind him watching the screen search through the webpages in flashes of white. Earlier that morning Bumblebee picked Raf up quite early, around seven forty nine to be exact, Raf called him up saying he would like to get to the base early so he could have more time to do his research and if anything turned up, he could tell them right away.  
  
"Hey I think I found something Bee." Raf announced to him as he scrolled through the information, "is this the guy you saw last night?"   
  
Bumblebee looked at the picture his friend pulled up, it was a little blurry but you could still make out the features of the person. Bee nodded " **Yup that's him.** " Raf smiled at his success, he began doing an image search until he found a clearer picture, but it still wasn't the best quality, it showed Danny Phantom in combat with some kind of floating robot with a flaming neon green Mohawk. The other Autobots began to gather around as Raf called them over.   
  
"After all the researching I did, I found this website to have the most helpful information, it's a blog titled 'Phantom stalkers united forever'." After receiving the expected weird looks from everyone except Optimus, Raf continued "from what I've found out, he is actually a ectoplasm entity or otherwise known as a ghost, which would explain his abilities, last name and the fact that he glows."   
  
Jack arched an eyebrow "wait a minute, are you telling me thatghost  _actually_ exist?" he asked "like in the haunting houses and goes  _'boo!'?_."   
  
Raf nodded in confirmation. "There are also links to news articles like robbery, kidnapping the mayor of Amity Park Illinois, and some of them say he led ghost attacks, but the information on those are sketchy. But quite a lot of the articles state that Phantom is a hero, and is mainly favored by the younger generation of the town. There are residential ghost hunters that tend to hunt him down, there's the Red Huntress, the Guys in White and the first ghost hunters to start it all, is the Fentons." He pulled up a picture of the couple in spandex standing proudly in front of their altered RV.   
  
Jack's eyebrows scrunched up "I think I seen that vehicle before..." He muttered to himself.  
  
Rafael continued "he doesn't seem to like news crews; every time he spots them he leaves, so I'm guessing he is a bit shy when approached, except in battle when it comes to protecting the innocent, it also says that he has... 'a witty battle banter'?" Raf adjusted his glasses when he finished, he turned away from his laptop to face his friends. There wasn't a lot of Intel, but hopefully Agent Fowler found something.   
  
Optimus nodded as he took in Rafael's explanation. "The task still remains, we need to find Danny Phantom, if anyone see's him try to coax him to meet us at the base, we need to find him before the Decepticon's do."  
  
Team Prime nodded simultaneously at their leader's request. Bumblebee glanced warily at Smokescreen, the rookie had a small smirk on his face as his optics stared into nothing.  _Please don't tell me he's gonna do something stupid._  Bumblebee thought pleadingly as he remembered Smokescreen's reaction from last night about the boy's intangibility ability.   
  
"Does this mean were going on a ghost hunt?  _sweet_!" Miko exclaimed in enthusiasm fist pumping the air and bouncing with her uncontainable energy. "Come on Bulk, lets go catch us a ghosty!" She said as she walked over to her green guardian, waiting for him to transform so they can get started. But when he didn't she started tapping her foot in annoyance.   
  
Bulkhead sighed "Miko, I don't think its a good idea for you to come with me, you might distract me and I may end up losing him if I spot him." That wasn't the only reason he didn't want to take her, Bee could tell that the ex-wrecker didn't want to lose her again like last night.   
  
Miko groaned and walked away in a huff, heading back towards the catwalk. Optimus then called out for them to roll out and split up, if Phantom was around that area last night, then he may not be so far away.   
  
"You guys go on with out me, I'll catch up" Smokescreen said with a smile, Bumblebee stopped mid step when he heard this, Smokescreen hardly  _ever_ wanted to stay behind at base, especially willingly. That just added to Bee's suspicion that the other mech was up to something. But he didn't have time to think about it now, the search for the ghost was about to begin.  
  
 ** _~~~~~~~~~~~~_**  
  
It had already been four days since their encounter with Danny Phantom and they haven't seen a trace of him since, but the search still continued anyways when they weren't searching for relics, energon, Decepticons, or helping Agent Folwer with something.  
  
Bee watched Raf type away at his computer some more before leaving the base, it was his and Smokescreen's turn to do patrol and he was gonna meet up with him. Smokey has still been acting weird but he hasn't figured out why yet, but he has seen him chatting it up with Miko making his anxiety go up a bit, the two of them together plotting could only end up terrible in the end.  
  
  
 ** _~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
_** Danny's healing abilities had finally kicked in and the bruises was barely noticeable or hurting, but before that he was grounded cause he didn't want to put more strain in the soreness of his muscles. But in that time he was helping his mom around the house and resting here and there, and now to celebrate his fast recovery process he decided to head out and fly. It was mid afternoon when he headed out, his parents was busy in the basement working on the ghost equipment that they brought along, Jack and Maddie were planning on heading out for another search for 'paranormal sightings' so they were making sure that their weapons were in top condition.   
  
By the sounds of it, they were planning on staying out for a while, giving Danny just enough time to spend his time exploring and flying.   
  
So here he was, flying through the grey sky.  _Hmm_ , _it looks like it's gonna rain._  He thought glancing warily upwards at the gathering clouds; many shades of grey and blue could be seen. Lighting flashed across the sky a fair distance away, and that's when he heard the scream. His head shot towards the direction the sound came from, the scream sounded like someone was in pain, whoever it was needed help!  
  
Danny flew faster until he reached the destination; there in the middle of the road was appeared to be a girl, she looked familiar but that didn't matter at the moment, she had scratches of red on her skin and was laying in a puddle of what appeared to be blood, his eyes widen and his pupils shrunk at the sight, he could feel bile rising up in throat but he swallowed it down, some one was bleeding and was in dire need of help!  
  
"Holy crud! what happened? are you okay?" Danny asked worryingly hovering over her as his eyes darted over her searching to see if there were anymore wounds.   
Thankfully the girl was still conscious and looked up at him, she was breathing in deeply as her eyes met with his. He watched her carefully as he tried to think of what to do as the rain began to softly fall, he's never been in this kind of situation before and his heart was racing.  
  
But before he could continue to think of what to do he noticed something, as the rain fell and landed on the girl the scratches began to disappear. Then it hit him, this wasn't an injury, it was fake!   
  
 _Snap!_    
  
Danny's head whipped around shooting higher into the air as he heard something snap along with a faint 'oops', standing there was one of those giant robots from a few nights ago. He didn't know what to do or say, but before he could, a fist met him in the face causing him to see stars only to fade to blackness, but before he faded one thought came to mind:  
  
 _That idiot knocked me unconscious!_


	4. K.O's and boxes

_**  
~~~~~~~~~~~~** _

_**~~~~~~TFP~~~~~~  
  
**_ Smokescreen approached the panic stricken ghost boy who was hovering over a blood covered Miko.   
  
  
Miko had filled him in on her plan on getting Phantom to the base, but her version of 'persuasion' was far from the word's true definition. But of course he agreed to her plan, adding his ideas here and there to improve it. Smokescreen was ninety-eight percent sure that it would work flawlessly, and when it did, he hoped it would win the gratitude of his idol, Optimus Prime. Today they set their plot into action, Miko had grabbed her stuff along with a backpack which held the key items needed if they wanted their plan to be a success. Besides, even  _if_ he wanted to back out of the plan he couldn't because she had some dirt on him, meaning she had a photo that she was planning on showing Prime if he didn't corporate. Needless to say, the photo was quite embarrassing, apparently she took it a few days ago when Bee challenged him to video game.  
  
Speaking of the yellow scout, Smokescreen was supposed to meet up with Bumblebee for patrol later so he had time to kill. Miko had packets of fake blood to cover herself in which were once stored in her closet and waited along with Smokescreen in hopes of spotting the ghost. To their unbelievable luck he was in sight, he wasn't too far away neither so he was most likely doing a patrol of his own. The Japanese girl immediately laid down in the middle of an abandon road being sure to lie at an odd angle and mustered the best blood curdling scream that could win five stars in a horror movie.   
  
Apparently in was convincing enough to lure the ghost teen to come and investigate.   
  
So here he was now, sneaking up on the unsuspecting target, after all, there was a reason why Bumblebee was the scout and Arcee was the most stealthy one on team prime. Those two could sneak up on a bot in a matter of seconds, but as for Smokescreen...  
  
 _SNAP!_  
  
Smokescreen slowly looked down towards his Pede in dread and saw he had stepped on a dead tree branch that had somehow managed to find itself on the lifeless road.  _Great, a stick, how clich_ _e._  Smokescreen thought sarcastically but the only thing he could say was "Oops". Phantom immediately whipped around and spotted him, he looked startled.  _Scrap! the plan's failing! what do I do now?  
  
_ In a blind panic his fist shot out towards the hovering kid and making contact with his face. Phantom fell backwards; whatever was keeping him airborne ceased as he crashed landed on the ground on his back.   
Smokescreen felt his cooling fans hitch as he realized what he just done, the kid's eyes remained closed and he didn't even move. Miko however was staring at him with a look that stated 'really?'. "Great Smokey, when I told you to knock him out I meant by flicking him on the head or something, not full force with your fist." Miko scolded, but even she couldn't mask the amusement in her voice as she dusted herself off a bit and walking over.   
  
The rain was getting heavier and thunder roared in the skies above, all of the fake blood that was covering her was no longer there thanks to the shower of water pouring from the sky. Miko grabbed one of the snapped branches and began to prod Phantom in the stomach with it.   
  
"Do you think he's dead?" He asked hesitantly while watching with care for any signs of life, he just felt awful as his tanks churned with unease.   
  
"Uh, aren't ghost  _already_ dead?" Miko questioned back, she didn't even bother to take her eyes off her poking subject.   
  
Smokescreen thought about it for a second, "good point." Well now he felt dumb. Miko's prodding ceased once an icy gasp escaped the boy's lips followed by a barely audible groaned that only he could pick up because of his adjusted audio receptors. "Well I'm taking that as a sign he's alive." Smokescreen sighed with relief "come on, lets load up and get outta here." Miko nodded her head excitedly in agreement, her soaking wet pigtails swished back and forth as she did so while her clothes clung to her sides.   
  
 _I don't think Bulkhead would be too happy if Miko got... What did humans call it again? oh that's right, 'sick'._ He mused silently before allowing his armor to shift to vehicle mode. Miko half dragged half carried the unconscious ghost into the back of his cab before settling in the passenger seat, Miko sure did like to ride upfront.   
  
"Hurry up and get comfortable, I'm supposed to be meeting up with Bumblebee so we can do patrol." He informed her.   
  
Miko rolled her eyes and huffed and proceeded to buckle herself in "yeah, yeah I'm going,  _shesh_! besides your gonna have to hide ice breath here cause I don't think Bee's gonna be too happy once he finds out you K.O.ed a human." She pointed out, she then proceeded with trying to remove the excess water from her clothing in hopes so she could get warmer "and Smokey turn on the heater, I'm freezing over here."   
  
Smokescreen did so as he continued to mull over her words.  _Aw scrap, she's right! Bee's gonna be ticked, his 'protect humankind' meter was way up there next to Prime's... Not to mention the others... And Optimus..._  Just imaging their team leader's disappointment in him made him wanna bow his helm down in shame. "Is he even human?" he asked.   
  
"Probably not, but isn't that what ghost are? dead people?"   
  
Smokescreen remained silent for a few nano seconds before going back to the problem at hand. "Um... maybe we could say we found him that way? Or! we could say that we spooked him and he fainted?" Smokescreen suggested before chuckling a bit "ha ha,  _spooked_ get it? cause he's a ghost."  
  
"Dude, that was a bad pun that even he wouldn't have found funny." she said jabbing a thumb towards Phantom, after that, the trio sat in silence.  
  
Which only lasted for like ten minutes.  
  
After that things started to get well- weird. Phantom kept making weird noises on the backseat in his unconscious state. The sounds varied from what sounded like giggles, 'meh's', stuff that sounded like disoriented song lyrics, and gibberish followed up by the occasional 'Fruit-loop'. The two friends just summed it up as a weird state of 'La La land' for the deceased. Just sitting- or in Smokescreen's case driving- and listening to the strange rants was an experience they didn't want to endure again unless they had to  _or_ they were recording it for future black mail. Miko turned around in her seat and watched the weirdness continue to unfold "ya know, if ya tuck your toes and fart,  _it smells like cotton candy_." Phantom slurred in a sing-songy voice before smiling. Miko felt her eye twitch.  
  
"Yo Smokescreen, he's gonna wake up in a few minutes, we need to switch to plan B." Miko bent over and reached for her backpack and unzipped it, pulling out what looked like a grenade.   
  
"Uh, Miko? it's not like I don't  _trust_  you or anything but what is plan B? and what is  _that_!?"  
  
She continued to fumble around with the device before answering "it's just a little something I 'borrowed' from Fowler." she said simply as her finger rested on a pull cord.  
  
"Okay cool, question: what does it do and is it dangerous?"   
  
but before she could reply a loud groan sounded from the backseat, Phantom sat up and began to rub his sore face "Ugh... Where's the truck that hit me?"   
  
 _Scrap!  
  
_ "Smokescreen hit the brakes!" Miko called. The brake pedal slammed down immediately, but due to the roads being wet they swiveled into a complete circle, Phantom fell out the backseat and landed on the floor with a loud 'thud' while Miko clung onto the door handle with a huge grin on her face as she felt her heart jump in her chest and the adrenaline kick in.    
  
As soon as he came to a halt Miko opened up the passenger door, and in a split second, pulled the cord on the grenade thing, chucked it into the back of his cab and made a run for it before closing the door shut.   
Smokescreen froze and could of swore he felt his spark stop as he waited for the grenade to go off.  _This is how my lights go out? by a little flesh-ling dropping a grenade in me? but I have a destiny to full-fill! I haven't kicked enough con tail-pipe yet! oh good bye you cruel, cruel world!_  
  
But the explosion never came; instead as soon as the flashing red button turned green a stream of smoke flew out of the canister. Phantom began to cough in the back seat,  _oh yeah I kinda forgot about him for a second..._ "What the heck?" he managed to cough out raising a hand towards his face trying to avoid the polluted air, but it was no use, he had already breathed in too much of it in and his vision was getting blurry along with a foggy mind, but he did manage to see a blurry yellow spot approaching before his vision swam back into darkness.   
  
"Oh no, Bee's here..." Smokescreen said in horror as the Urbana drove to a halt in front of him.  
  
  
  
 _ ** ** _~~~~~_ _~~~~~~~_    
  
  
****_To say Bumblebee was ticked off was an understatement. To say that he was happy with what Smokescreen had done would of been a total lie. Bumblebee exited the tunnel to enter the entrance of the base, transforming quickly to his bi-pedal mode and walked briskly to the medical bay with a unconscious person in his servos. He had checked him over as best he could but the teen is a  _deceased_ person after all, so he couldn't entirely be sure (how do you even do a medical check on a ghost anyway?) so Bee had decided it was best if Ratchet went over Phantom due to his field of expertise.   
  
 **"Ratchet come quick!"** Bumblebee called out for the medic as he entered the med. area, to his relief Ratchet was there. His famous cantankerous expression present at the fact of being bothered. "I'm bit busy right now Bum-" Ratchet was immediately cut short as he saw what the scout was carrying in his hands, his features softened a bit when his optics landed on the limp creature.   
  
"What happened?" He asked taciturnity as he pulled out a scanner and raised it over the boy, it let out a few faint beeps as it listed off the readings. There was a pulse; fast but barely detectable. Ratchet scowled in annoyance for his lack of knowledge, he had no idea if it was normal for him to be like that. Even though he learned a bit more about the human body when Rafael was infected with the dark energon, Phantom was an entirely different case due to his ectoplasmic origins.  
  
 **"Smokescreen happened."**  Bumblebee grumbled angrily, his door wings lowered to display his irritation, he carefully placed Phantom on the Medical berth, which in retrospect made him look even tinier seeing as the berth was cybertronian sized.  
  
Ratchet let out a scoffing sound. That newbie could be so dense sometimes, along with his annoying ingratiating behavior. "He should be fine" the old medic concluded "all we can do now is wait for him to hopefully wake up. And I would like to ask how did this happen in the first place?"  
  
Bumblebee's voice box let out a low beep that sounded awfully like a growl.  **"Smokey told me he found him that way at first; but when he started waking up, apparently Miko managed to get a chloroform gas grenade and used it to keep him asleep so they could transport him to the base easier. After she activated it she exited Smokescreen's vehicle mode and was standing in the rain when I pulled up."**  
  
Bee really didn't want to talk about it, his fellow comrade had violated a Autobot protocol when he harmed Phantom; he really hated seeing others get hurt, it felt like his spark was being ripped from his frame when Raf was critically injured. And now if he focused too much on the subject he was sure he was gonna end up breaking something much to Ratchet's displeasure, and the medic's wrath was not one to be reckon with.  
  
"Hi Bee, you came back earlier then I expected" a familiar voice called out catching the scout's attention, turning around to face the newcomer.   
  
Bumblebee's bright turquoise blue optics beamed with happiness as his ward scampered over with a smile on his little face, he carried his laptop along with him and his eyes shone with cheerfulness. Bee beeped in greeting before lowering himself and allowing the human child to climb into the palm of his hand.  **"Hello Raf, we ... Found Danny Phantom."** He beeped uncomfortably.   
  
The little twelve year old's brown eyes enlighten with excitement. "Really? where is he?" Rafael asked pushing his glasses up a bit on the bridge of his nose. Bumblebee jerked his head towards the med-bay, causing Raf's smile to turn into a frown "oh no, is he okay?"   
  
Bumblebee nodded quickly to reassure him. The sound of a motor entering the base distracted the two briefly, the flashy red, white and blue race car pulled into to view. The 38 decal printed door opened as the fifteen year old known as Miko came out, her expression was glum and avoided eye contact walking towards the haven area free of Auto bot pedes or better known as the catwalk. Bee still had no idea why they called it that; there were no fuzzy earth creatures known as cats walking around up there. Though, he secretly wanted to have one of the cute fluffy creatures around that most humans found 'endearing'.  
  
The sounds that followed afterwards was the sound of metal shifting into place to reveal Smokescreen. He too had the same glum demeanor as he walked over to an empty section of the base.   
  
 _Yeah, you screwed up big time Smokey._ Bee thought regrettably, shaking his helm in a scolding manner and letting out a computerize sigh.  
  
 _ ** ** _~~~~~_ _~DP~~~~~~_    
****_  
  
Danny was barely aware of what was happening around him. He could feel himself laying on a flat uncomfortable, cold surface; as well as his hair feeling damp. The air around him smelt a bit dusty and he could hear electrical equipment running some where close by.  _Where am I?_  he questioned himself mentally, for some reason his brain was acting sluggish and was having trouble recalling past events. Danny hesitantly opened his eyes; he had to blink a couple of times when they came into contact with a light fixture hanging above him. Danny sat upright and stretched his back to get the kinks out of it, he could hear voices talking some where in the area. And now that he was more awake, he began to take in his surroundings.   
  
Well for starters, the place looked like it was in a cave or something, but there was flooring installed. There were insanely large computer monitors which were lit displaying stuff he didn't understand and would explain where the humming noise was coming from. It looked he was in some kind of silo.     
  
He realized that he was still in ghost form, which meant he hadn't reverted back yet from whatever adventure he endured earlier. Danny froze as his mind began to tell him he was in some type of lab area; given the monitors and the equipment lying around along with frighting familiar objects that looked like they were made for cutting some one open, he barely aware of the fact that his breath caught in his throat.   
  
 _Come on you have to relax,_  Danny chided in his head,  _your not gonna get cut open Fenton, otherwise you would of been cuffed to the table_ _with ectoplasmic restraints which is a good sign right?_  
  
But the voices; he had to figure out where there were coming from. Danny slowly pushed himself up into a standing position, taking a deep breath he floated out of his designated area of rest and went to find answers.  
  
Carefully he peeked his head around a corner, his eyes widening a bit as he did. "Ah crud" Danny whispered with a frown.  _And just when I thought my summer vacation was gonna be normal, it gets screwed up.  
  
_ In the center of the room stood the robots he encountered earlier in the week; aside from the candy cane colored one, having a discussion of which he was guessing about him. "Maybe now is not a good time." Danny decided taking a floating step back, not realizing he was being watched from above...  
  
"Hiya!"   
  
A girlish shriek escaped his lips as he rocketed into the air in surprise before reading a ecto blast to defend himself from the threat. To his relief and yet annoyance, it was that same girl he rescued as well.  _What was her name again? Michu...no...Miku? nuh-uh... Mika? nope... what was it? It sounded like some weird dog name..._  
  
"Uh dude, did you just scream like a little girl?" she asked, an infuriating smirk dancing on her lips as she arched an eyebrow, she pulled her towel closer for warmth and her hair appeared a bit damp also.  
  
"I uh-no!"  he replied quickly while lowering his hand as it extinguish into nothingness, but the feeling of embarrassment stung brightly on his cheeks as he ducked his head. Her grin stretched wider as she leaned on the railing to the catwalk, watching him float a foot away just outta of reach.   
  
She then shrugged in a uncaring way "well at least your awake, Smokey kinda thought he knocked you into a comma or something, now he's getting his ear talked off by Prime."   
  
Danny floated there dumbfounded for a moment as the gears began to turn in his brain as the puzzle pieces began to fall into place. Danny's facial expression formed into a scowl as the image of a fist hitting him in the face replayed itself in his mind. Any dark revengeful thoughts were cut short as the sound of loud footfalls echoing closer meant his ears, whoever approached remained unknown to him since his back was turned. Miko-that's what her name was!- began to wave; Danny swallowed down a gulp and turned around to face the newcomers.  
  
"Miko, is everything alright? we heard a commotion." asked Optimus with concern, behind him stood his comrades he saw a bit earlier but he didn't know any their names yet. Danny had a feeling he was gonna find them out anyway.   
  
The one american flag colored one in the back caught his eye, the robot had a look of relief on his face and he  _smiled_ at him,  _why that little- he better not think were all buddy-buddy now_. Danny shot a quick glare him in return.   
  
Miko nodded jubilantly "Yup! and that  _'_ commotion _'_  you heard was a dying animal known as his vocals."   
  
She broke out into a fit of snickers as his face became redder with embarrassment, "was not!" he hissed through clenched teeth.   
  
Optimus Prime dipped his head a bit in greeting "I would like to welcome you, Danny Phantom to the Autobot base. And these are our comrades; Ratchet, Arcee, Bulkhead, Smokescreen and Bumblebee." with each listed name one of the Autobot's would either nod their head or give a slight wave, Danny smiled a bit in acknowledgement, until he saw the grim look on Optimus' face "Though, I believe I must apologize on our teammate's behavior of bringing you here without your permission first."  
  
Danny shook his head "it's not your fault Optimus. Besides, you don't come off as the type of guy for kidnapping people, but I can see why you call him Smokescreen with the smoke-bombs and all." Danny grinned up him, Optimus and the other's sizes were a bit intimidating (maybe not Arcee's size though) but they seemed like good people-er cybertronians wasn't it?    
  
Optimus managed a small smile at Danny's reply, but the creaking on the metal steps caught Danny's attention; two boys stood there, the youngest one with chestnut colored hair and square frame glasses resting on the bridge of nose stood shyly behind the older one who had raven black hair and stormy blue eyes staring into his neon green ones. Danny blinked,  _umm, who are they?_  
  
"And I'll would also like to introduce you to our human allies." The tall red and blue mech continued as he motioned them over. "This is Jack and Rafael, who are under the protection of their guardians Arcee and Bumblebee, as well from the rest of us." At the mention of 'Jack' Danny got a funny feeling inside of him. _Jack? his name is Jack like my dad? talk about an awkward situation. It would almost be like calling this guy 'dad' which is just...weird._  
  
Danny floated over to the stairway before awkwardly rubbing the back of his neck "uh hi " he said with a small wave. Jack grinned and offered his hand which he accepted with a firm shake. Danny glanced down at Rafael, who still stood nervously by Jack's side, Danny offered his hand as well. "Hi I'm Danny Phantom, but you can just call me Danny."   
  
Rafael smiled at that and gave a slight nod, he seemed less nervous now "Hi, and you can call me Raf, it's what all my friends call me."   
  
Optimus's smooth baritone voice called out again "and you've already met Miko, her guardian is Bulkhead." He said motioning to her as she grinned and waved a bit.   
  
Danny was about to smile back when Jack whispered in his ear "she was Smokescreen's accomplice, she came up with the whole kidnapping you idea." Danny frowned in response.  
  
"But a problem poses at hand." Optimus Prime continued grimly "I believe that you are in danger Danny as you pose a threat to Decepticon cause."  
  
Now it was Danny's turn to arch an eyebrow "you mean those physco idiots that were trying to shoot me down the other night?"  
  
The Autobot leader nodded "indeed, now that Megatron knows of your existence and the power you possess, you have possibly become a target for his malicious intentions."  
  
Danny snorted a bit "this 'Megatron' is really starting to sound like a evil fruit-loop I know. Does this 'Megatron' guy have plans for world conquest? really messed up in head? would do anything to have things go  _his_ way? and is just down right evil?"   
  
The Autobots let a chorus of 'yep's and 'mm-hmm's while Optimus vaguely nodded.  
  
"Yup, defiantly sounds like the guy I know." Danny announced crossing his arms. But the moment of silence was cut short when a crash sounded through out the base. Every cybertronian life form readied their weapons as their fist turned into the familiar dangerous looking guns that he saw on the battlefield. The lights flicked a bit and the humans edged closer to each other; who knows what kind of threat was lurking down those now eerily looking halls?   
  
Danny readied his energized fist as he slipped into a mid air fighting stance. Something flew quickly into another entrance way inside the hall; then another something, and another and another and another before a  _glowing something_ flew into the same room.  _What the heck?_  
  
Danny motioned for the others to follow as he floated over to investigate, the steady metal footsteps some how comforted him a bit as they walked into the unknown. The room was dark once they reached it, and the glow from their choice of defense just wasn't cutting it, but they could make out one thing: glowing. Red. Eyes.  
  
 _Ghost!  
  
Decepticon!   
  
_ran through their minds.  
  
Arcee walked over as her hand skimmed the wall until it came into contact with something, with the flick of her wrist the room was showered in light.   
  
The sound of weapons preparing to fire was drowned out by one of the most annoying sounds that Danny have ever heard in his life.  
  
"I am the Box Ghost! beware!"   
  
"Oh gosh, no." Danny groaned as he face-palmed. There floating in the room surrounded by gravity-less boxes was the ever irritating Box Ghost, pale blue-skin, overalls and all. The Autobots on the other hand were a bit confused, but their guns didn't falter on the possible threat.   
  
The Box Ghost gasped in shock when he spotted Danny "you! what are you doing here?"  
  
Danny waved the question off "that doesn't matter right now! the real question is, what are  _you_ doing here? how did you even get in here? I mean come on! this is probably a high in security base and you just waltz in stealing their boxes! how the heck did they not notice you?"   
  
The boxes began to swirl around like they were caught in a vortex as the blue ghost clutched his fist in anger "it doesn't matter how I got here! for I am the Box Ghost! tremble in fear at the might of my power over all containers, cardboard and square!"  
  
Arcee lowered her blazing guns "is he serious?" she questioned.  
  
Danny nodded "sadly, this is as serious as he would ever get."  
  
"I am the Box Ghost! and I will have my corrugated cardboard vengeance, and you or that symmetrical container of doom will stop me!" the Box Ghost bellowed, his hands raised as they began to glow a toxic green; boxes and containers flew at Danny which he dodged easily. Swiftly turning around, Danny lunged for the Box Ghost and kicked him in the gut, but for a chubby looking ghost, he could sure move quickly as Boxy levitated more boxes and using whatever was inside of them to attack the ghost teen.   
  
Team prime stood there and watched, they couldn't really help Danny out because one, the two ghost were battling it out in a storage closet which meant there was barely any room to maneuver, and two, both ghost were flying back and forth like ping-pong balls, they can't risk firing a a wrong blast and ended up hitting Phantom. Besides, it looked like he had it handled.  
  
Danny fired an ecto blast hitting the Box Ghost right in the stomach area. "arhh!" he yelled as he hit one of the side walls momentarily stunned.   
  
Danny's hand immediately reached towards his hip but only grasped open air, Danny glanced downwards and gasped "where's my thermos?!"  
  
  
 ** _~~~~~_ _~TFP~~~~~~_**  
  
"What do you think this thing does?" Miko asked as she inspected the smooth silver canister with green details and white cap, her fingers tapped it bit and listened. Nothing.   
  
"Uh Miko, where did you get that?" Raf asked worriedly, watching the girl as she continued to tamper with the device while the towel still draped her frame.   
  
Miko grinned brightly at him. "Danny had it, I took when he was unconscious."   
  
Jack groaned falling backwards to land on the couch. Hadn't that girl ever learned to never mess with someones personal belongings?    
  
Raf stepped closer to Miko to see what she was doing better "but why did you take it?" he asked once more.   
  
"Well I got kinda hungry until I noticed his thermos thingy, I thought maybe he was keeping some soup in there for lunch or something." She replied, her eyes still interested in the device."But there's nothing in here! talk about a cheap stake." letting out an annoyed huff she shoved the canister in Raf's hands and walked over to the railing closer to the dim lit hall the bots disappeared down. "Huh, I wonder what's going on down there..." Miko trailed off as an idea sparked in her head. She ditched the towel and ran down the stairs and made a beeline for the eerie hall.   
  
Jack jumped off the couch immediately and ran after her "Miko get back here!"  
  
Raf not wanting to be left alone dashed after them "guys wait up!" he called running as fast as his short legs would carry him.  
  
  
 ** _~~~~~_ _~DP~~~~~~_ _  
  
_**  
Danny ducked another flying box to the head and rocketed upwards. His opponent's daze had obviously cleared as continued to throw things at him at a rabid pace. "I am the Box Ghost! you can not defeat me! With the power of the use of boxes, and the occasional use of bubble-wrap" he said the last part mostly to himself "I shall defeat you and whoever stands in my way!"  
  
Danny could feel a migraine coming on, the Box Ghost's dialog was so repetitive then the fight itself. Another box flew by and Danny hurriedly reached out for it. Once in his grasp Danny flew at his enemy and dunked the box on the other ghost's head "it looks like it's  _boxing_ day for you Box Ghost!" he smirked at his pun. The Box Ghost's head ripped through the card board as it popped out from the bottom. Another pun came to mind and he had no problem saying it out loud "looks like you need start thinking more outside the  _box_." A chorus of groans came from his audience in response.   
  
 _Man, I could really use that thermos right about now._ Just then Bulkhead called out to him "is this what you looking for?"  
  
Danny turned around and saw Raf standing in the green mech's hand, and in the boy's hold was he long lost thermos.  _Therm-y!_ he felt himself cheer on the inside, but instead hid it by flying over "yes thanks!" he said happily once it was handed to him.   
  
"What are you ever gonna do with it?" asked Bulkhead.  
  
Danny offered him a grin like the Cheshire cat "you'll see" came the vague answer.  
  
The Box Ghost was trying to make a run for it once his red eyes saw the halfa's trapping mechanism. "Oh no! you shall not trap me in the canister of foreboding!" he cried.   
  
"Nuh uh uh, Boxy" the child chided "your taking a one way trip to thermos land; where it will meet all your ghostly needs." Danny uncapped the cover as his thumb pressed down on the capture button. A swirling blue vortex came out causing the bot's to take a step back in surprise. "Nooooooo!" the about to be prisoner howled, and in a flash of light he disappeared into the depths of the device, as well as the light as Danny recapped the lid.   
  
"That was so cool!" he heard Miko call out somewhere from behind the Autobot's.   
  
The teenager just shrugged in response "it wasn't that big of a deal, that idiot was just a minor threat after all."  
  
"how did you?..." Ratchet trailed off as he tried to process what he just witnessed.  
  
"Its a ghost thermos, weaken the ghost enough and you can trap them inside. The special metal inside is ectoranium to prevent a ghost from just going intangible and escaping." Danny explained with a shrug, hoping that the show and statement would impress them "simple really." The white haired teen hovered into the air in front of the still surprise Autobots, finding himself rubbing at his neck again.   
  
"Soooo... About that Decepticon problem" Danny began "how can I help?"


	5. Skunks and references

**_~~~~~~DP~~~~~~_**  
  
The amount of information he had just took in the past hour was horrendous, Optimus had explained to him about the war waging between the two factions that had be going on for decades, of all the lives they've lost and their home planet no longer inhabitable, it was a lot to take in, but he really felt for them though, after that 'incident' he came this close to losing his loved ones and a dark future for everyone, Danny promised to never let a horrible future like that happen ever again and he was gonna live up to that promise by helping the Autobot's. He just hoped he was enough. But one of the rules on being on team Prime was that he wasn't allowed to tell  _anyone_ of their existence, which he was fine with since he had his own fair share of secrets. Afterwards Danny told them the basics about ghosts and gave off a simple list about ghost powers: Flying, intangibility, ghost rays, overshadowing-which after hearing that the bots all stood in front of their human ally's protectively, Arcee shot him a 'don't you dare try it' glare before Danny quickly reassured them that he wouldn't, in fact it was his least favorite power and only used it when it was necessary which caused them to relax a bit,-and invisibility.  
  
Acree didn't hesitate though when it came to questioning all his 'wrong doings' that were reported on the news, Danny sighed giving them the simple explanation seeing telling the whole story would take awhile. "Mind control, Prison Warden Ghost who wanted revenge who then over-shadowed the former mayor, and a bunch of lies." Everyone seemed to find the answers acceptable.  
  
Besides, he didn't want to tell them  _everything_ just in case they weren't who they said they were, he has enough backstabbers in his life thank you very much.  
  
He left out the part being half ghost for a reason, besides, they wanted the ghost teen that aided them in battle, the one who had all those abilities that would prove to be a  _huge_ advantage next time, not Danny  _Fenton,_ a pretty average fourteen year old with weird ghost hunting parents, a psychiatrist for a sister, barely any friends and gets bullied on a regular basis. Yep, that totally sounded like an interesting summary for applying to be another kid to add to their roster, hey they could totally be the next Doodle-bops with a fourth member! he could see it now; Miko could be the new Deedee, Jack could be Rooney and Raf could be Moe, all they need was some wigs and spray paint and one of the Autobots could be that magical bus that looked like some hippies vomited on and left it because they thought it looked _amazing_. Then his preschool stage name would be Spooky or some other nonsense that slipped right off the tongue.   
  
He was getting off topic, Danny was actually kinda surprised that he didn't fall asleep during the lesson in cybertronian history, but then again Prime spoke much more lively then Mr. Lancer, his teacher, who's voice was dull and lackluster unless he was speaking about Shakespeare, it was pretty much like white noise as sleepiness drifted into his eyelids from staying up late for ghost activity.   
  
"And this is where the training room is." Miko announced with a wave of her hand, indicating to the spacious area that was currently empty save for the ceiling lights that were lit.  
  
Danny snapped out of his thoughts and rapidly replied "uh huh, cool" before peeking into the room. That's right, Miko had volunteered to give him a tour of the base, they had already seen fifteen rooms and Danny was just getting bored. "Okay are we done now?" he asked with a undertone of impatience, he rather be flying in the open expanse of the sky, even if it was still raining.  
  
Miko rolled her eyes at his dreariness "yes, that was the last room anyways," she span around on her heel to turn the other way waving for him to follow "come on let's go, the other's are probably waiting for us anyhow." Danny sighed with relief before he obediently followed.   
  
The two walked in silence before Miko piped up again. "Soooo..." she began "how did you die anyway?" Danny froze in flight and Miko stopped walking as she gave him an expectant look, he however remained reluctant to answering something that might reveal his secret, Danny felt a bit trapped by the question. _Come on think! a simple answer, you can do it, just don't babble and reveal to much-  
_  
"I got electrocuted" came the simple reply, surprised with how calm it came out too despite his panic attack on the inside.   
  
Miko seemed satisfied with the answer "oh," she said looking away briefly as she flinched "that's a lame way to die, but it must of been painful." He nodded numbly as he looked away focusing on their destination. Nevertheless, Miko's curiosity was still active "so who were you before? I mean before you died?"   
  
Danny pretended like he hadn't heard as he floated on with a stony look ignoring the girl's protest as she jogged briskly to keep up with his pace, her boots thudded loudly in the empty halls. "Hey! I was asking you a question!" she vociferated "humph, talk about rude."  
  
Finally for what felt like hours which in reality was eight minutes, they arrived in the main hanger and noticed everyone was off doing their own thing, the Autobot leader was discussing something in a hushed tone to the faction's medic, Arcee, Jack and Bulkhead were talking; but it was more of the former who was doing most of the talking. Bumblebee was watching Raf do his magic on his laptop commenting on things here and there from time to time.  _Huh, wonder where Smokescreen is?_  
  
As if his thoughts were answered, the sound of approaching footsteps came from his right. Danny looked up to see bright blue optics looking sadly into his little green orbs. Smokescreen stood in front of them as a nervous lopsided grin was offered. Danny didn't even move as he arched an eyebrow and crossed his arms, the feeling Danny gave off clearly said 'well?'.  
  
Smokescreen sighed in defeat "look, I'm sorry for knocking you out and kidnapping you, it was an accident, everything just went south so fast I panicked and- well you know what happened." The apology sounded sincere but his poker face didn't falter, but on the inside Danny just wanted to run up to him, give the mech a quick hug and a fist bump to boot.  
  
"So.... Are we good?"   
  
Danny thought about it, but his face couldn't help but soften as he grinned brightly "yeah, were good."   
  
The relief on Smokescreen's face was obvious, just what Danny wanted if he wanted to exact revenge on his target.  _Yeah, we are SO good..._  Danny thought mischievously. Smokescreen lowered his fist not noticing the flinch Danny made as he did so, motioning to do a fist bump, Danny raised his smaller fist and bumped it back smirking a bit.  
  
A flash of light issued immediately causing the two to blink "that's another for the scrap book! the bromance going around here is amazing!" Miko exclaimed running off with her pink cellphone, probably before someone snatched her phone away and started deleting her pictures.  
the two shook their heads amusingly before an a alarm went off causing everyone to freeze.   
  
  
 _ **~~~~~~TFP~~~~~~**  
_  
After Miko left with Danny giving him the 'grand tour' as she put it, Arcee slipped in next to Optimus before talking to him in a low tone "are you sure we can trust him Optimus? it wouldn't be the first time that a friend turned out to be a foe." Her voice was a harsh whisper so the others wouldn't interfere with their own opinions. Of course she was referring to the time Make-shift infiltrated the base and impersonated Bulkhead's buddy WheelJack, the media might be correct with him and the whole 'playing hero' act, he might actually be working with the cons this whole time to expose their location.   
  
Optimus looked thoughtful "your opinion has been noted Arcee, We'll have to see based off his actions." Acree sighed, that's all they can do for the time being, but she'll have to keep a close optic on him especially since Phantom mentioned he has the ability to possess organics, he might even be able to possess cybertronians if they weren't careful.   
  
Realizing that she hadn't answered Prime's answer yet, Acree nodded in acceptance with a quick "thanks" before turning to leave back where Bulkhead and Jack were waiting for her.    
  
 ** _~~~~~~DP~~~~~~_  
**  
Danny was the first one to snap out of his stupefy, shaking his head quickly to clear his confusion with the sudden change of events. "What is that?!" he shouted over the noise, hugging his ears in hopes of diminishing the sound which proved fruitless.  
  
Optimus glanced over at him, "that is Agent Fowler; our liaison with the government, he must be returning our call." Danny visibly paled at the word 'government', him and government agencies didn't mix very well.   
  
No one seemed to notice his paleness "you guys never mentioned you worked for them" he muttered, eyes darting for an escape route in case things turned hairy.   
  
"Smokescreen, please escort Danny out of the room." Optimus said sternly.  
  
Smokescreen did a quick salute "yes sir!" before swiftly scooping Danny up in a fluid motion and retreated back into the hall.  
  
Danny bounced along in between the two supporting hands with each step his carrier took. "H-hey!" his voice shook due to the vibrations "I could of f-flew m-myself! I d-don't need t -ow!- to be carried." He protested, but Smokescreen just made a 'mm-hmm' sound which just irritated him more cause he could of swore he detected a sarcastic note in it.   
  
Half a minute later, their travel came to a halt, dead silence surrounded them in the lifeless hallway, it didn't help with the dim light fixture overhead to apply to the haunted house vibe Danny was getting.   
  
Danny huffed crossing his arms around his knees and sent a half-hearted glare at the bot, hoping that he couldn't see the fear in his body language. Instead Smokescreen broke out into a big grin which morphed into the most derpiest face he had ever seen.  _I'm not gonna laugh, I'm not gonna laugh, I'm not gonna-haha!_ Danny couldn't help it as his barriers fell down, a snort; and then fell into a fit of giggles.   
"Oh, dude, w-what the- _ha hah ha!-_  heck- _hah ha heh ha!-_ Smokscreen?" Danny managed to get out "that just made m-my day! ha ha hah!" that was the last coherent thing that was heard before Danny fell onto his back and closed his eyes shut, clutching his mid-riff as laughter flowed outta of his mouth like a stream of water. Smokescreen laughed a bit as well at Danny's antics. Finally the laughter subsided as the teen gasp for breath for his air deprived lungs.   
  
"Oh man... That was awesome... can't... breathe..." Danny wheezed out, proceeding with wiping a fake tear from his eye.   
  
All the sudden a mischievous idea formed in his head as a wide smile stretched his lips apart that would of made the god of mischief smirk as well. "Hey Smokescreen?" he asked in feigned curiosity.  
  
"Yeah?"he answered the ghost who was still sitting in his hand.   
  
"Can you breathe or smell?" Smokescreen looked at Danny's large sparkling luminous green eyes shining innocently.   
  
"Breathing like how you organics do? no, I don't; none of the cybertronians do actually. But being able to smell? yup, why you ask?" if it was even possible, Danny smiled even wider and his eyes glinted weirdly.   
  
"Oh no reason really..." What Smokescreen failed to notice was Danny's hand inching towards his white boot, pulling out a spray bottle."Just genuine curiosity that's all."  _Well I wanted to test this out next I saw the Fruit-loop, but this looks like a new opportunity for revenge...  
  
_ "Oh well tha-" It happened so fast Smokescreen barely registered it, a black and white blur shot out of his palm and flew up to him as the sound of  _spritz spritz_ was heard followed by the small clouds entering his fans. Smokescreen was greeted with the most  _disgusting_ smell he ever encountered in all his life as he began to gag. "Oh man, what the frag is this scrap!?" He yelled which was quite a feat because of his constant gagging and coughing.   
  
 ** _~~~~~~TFP~~~~~~_  
  
** _"*Prime!*"_  shouts the angry voice of Agent William Fowler, his dark toned complexion appeared on the largest screen available and his trademark scowl stayed firmly in place.  _"*I go on a top secret mission for a few days and return only to find my voice-mail filled with messages about a little get together to swap the latest gossip!*"_  of course Fowler's claim wasn't true, they never said that in their message but Fowler had a thing with being over dramatic and stretching the truth a bit with his ticked off responses.   
  
It was still a wonder how Optimus Prime put up with his mannerisms and always have a calm response. "Hello Agent Fowler, the reason we called was because we required more knowledge on Danny Phantom, if you can still provide information it'll still be helpful, but otherwise, we have the situation under control."   
  
Agent Fowler open his mouth, but closed it, he repeated the action again but before he could reply Smokescreen ran into the main area yelling his head off "agh! I can't get rid of the smell! oh the horror! that little black and white beast sprayed me in the face with the worst vile thing I've EVER smelled in my entire life cycle! it's just-ugh!" Smokescreen removed his hands from his face to reveal unfocused optics that looked suspiciously watery, the noise of his fans on overdrive in hopes of filtering out the stench filled air, it wielded no results.  
  
That's when the smell hit everyone, it smelled so bad even Optimus had trouble masking his displeasure, he opted then to turn on his battle mask and that was saying something. Miko began gagging on it "geez Smokey, did ya blow up a porta-potty!?"   
  
It was complete chaos as Fowler continued to watch from the safety behind the screen with a look of shock that said 'what the heck'. The scout-Bumblebee he believed his name is- was making sputtering buzzing noises that sounded like coughing while fanning away the polluted air, young Rafael was passed out in the chair he was in because it was so bad, Smokescreen was still running around in circles screaming, Acree pulled a long hose from outta nowhere and began spraying the stink-bomb luckily he wasn't near any electrical equipment, Ratchet was face-palming muttering something he couldn't make out due to the racket while Bulkhead patted his shoulder, and Optimus was waiting for the agent's reply still.  
  
Finally he snapped out of his trance, coming to one conclusion after putting two an two together based off the bot's outburst, and answered in a deadly calm voice that he managed to perfect with practice over the years  _"*let me guess, you've ground bridged a bunch of a skunks a now have a skunk infestation running a muck in the base?*"_ he announced before pinching the bridge of his nose and shook his head  _"*I'm so glad I didn't come in today.*"_ The last part was mumbled a bit but everyone heard it. Fowler continued  _"*and to answer your question Prime, I'll see what I can do. Meanwhile my sources say that there is Decepticon activity in Florida, and I want you to check it out, so get your shiny metal butts in gear and deal with both situations. Agent Fowler out.*"_  And with that the screen went back to it's usual green color displaying graphs and tracking beacon searches.   
  
Smokescreen finally calmed down, the poop smell was barely noticeable so that was a plus. Arcee nodded towards Jack who was still standing by the wall near the handle for the water, Jack nodded back before shutting the water off.   
  
Everyone cast their glances at him, Smokescreen ducked his head in embarrassment as he realized his little freak-out in front of everyone, in front of Optimus... In front of Optimus freaking Prime! _oh scrap_... The sound of Arcee's voice snapped him from out of his internal crying in shameful humiliation. "Smokescreen what exactly happened?"   
  
His mouth tighten as he realized what happened "that...Phantom kid happened." With renewed motivation Smokescreen stormed through the hall "and when I find him he's gonna rue the day he crossed paths with Smokescreen!"   
  
Jack looked up towards his guardian worriedly "don't they say that speaking in the third person will eventually lead to insanity?" he asked.  
  
Arcee gave a shrug and a nod in response, not really confirming nor denying  "it could already be happening Jack, Destiny's child could of already lost the plot awhile ago..."    
  
 ** _~~~~~~DP~~~~~~  
  
_** Okay,  _maybe_ he should of thought of the consequences after he pulled that little stunt on Smokescreen, it may have been funny at first but he stopped laughing once he realized that the screaming went silent which only meant two things: either someone shot him, or that bot came to his sense and was  _ticked_ off like that whale from that old Sonic Adventure game that he used to have. Danny immediately took flight while chanting in a harsh whisper "oh crud oh crud oh crud  oh crud!" he went invisible so if he crossed paths with anyone he wouldn't be seen or ratted out. He tried to recall Miko's tour in hopes that she mentioned any good hiding places, nothing came to mind, or if she did it was because Danny zoned out.  
  
Footsteps; very loud footsteps coming his way. His eyes darted around the space, his heart and ghost core pounding rapidly in sync in his chest. It wasn't looking too good for him, until he spotted the air vent in the center of the wall (which was a very weird place for one in his opinion) deciding it was the best option he went intangible and slipped inside dropping his invisibility, and just in time too, because the owners to the footsteps arrived.   
  
It was Arcee, Jack and Smokescreen.  
  
"Smokescreen, he's not gonna come out, we've been searching for six minutes, I bet Danny heard you being so loud he keeps changing his location" Arcee reasoned causing Smokescreen to stop abruptly. Danny had to give her points for coming up with that, since it was almost true.   
  
Smokescreen huffed "well he can't hide forever."  
  
Danny shifted a bit in the cramped space, out of all of the air vents he could of gotten into, it had to be the cramped spaced one. He looked through the open lines in the vent cover to see what his seekers were doing. They were still talking but they moved right in front of his hiding place.  _Gosh, why are air vents always dusty?...  
  
_ "He thinks your gonna hurt him." Arcee said bluntly "what? of course I'm-"   
  
 ** _Achoo!_**  
  
Smokescreen was suddenly cut off by a sneeze. The two bots both looked at Jack "was that you string bean?" Smokescreen asked.   
  
Jack shook his head "no... And don't call me that!"   
  
Arcee rolled her optics "I think it came from the vent."   
  
Smokescreen turned on his Phase-Shifter and removed the vent cover, to reveal the missing teenager "um... Hi!" Danny said nervously with a slight wave.   
  
Smokescreen smiled broadly "ha! gotta love the Phase-Shifter!" he said proudly while showcasing said device. "Now get over here!" Danny yelped when the mech made a grab for him, Danny narrowly dodged and made a run for it, but the second time he wasn't so lucky.    
  
Smokescreen plucked him out of the air like he was no more then a mere spider hanging by it's thread and held him by the scruff of his jumpsuit. Danny pouted slightly for being discovered. Just then Jack began to chuckle "aw, you sneeze like a kitten."  
  
Danny went red as his face scrunched up "you did  _not_ just make that reference."  
  
Jack just chuckled a bit more and nodded "sorry, couldn't resist. Anyways... Why did you spray Smokescreen?"  
  
Danny rolled his eyes and made a 'duh' expression "Speed Racer here deserved it, he knocked me out and I haven't used the spray bottle yet so I decided to test it out, so  _now_ were even." Danny then looked up at the accused "dude, you need to stop holding me, it's kinda creepy and people might start thinking we have a thing going on. Soooo..." he drawled out" what are you gonna do with me? make me laugh till I wet myself?" he joked giving a cheesy grin.  
  
Smokescreen looked thoughtful, probably not a good sign "hmm I don't know, maybe I'll dissect you and see what makes you tick..." Danny paled as his pupils shrunk and he felt himself sweat a bit, he couldn't tell whether or not that he was being serious or not.  
  
"Y-your not serious are you?" silence. The silence that met his ears did nothing but make him more nervous.   
  
Finally Smokescreen smiled "Nah, I was just joking, I guess were even now, and I guess that was a pretty good prank Phantom, just don't do it again, I don't want to be walking around smelling like whatever  _that_  was ever." Smokescreen said in his usual casual cocky nature.  
  
Danny nodded numbly and phased out of Smokescreen's fingers "ha ha y-yeah, joking... v-very funny ha ha!.." Danny laughed nervously "I-uh we should get back to the other's you know? probably wondering where we are in all." And with that, Danny started to head back the main area.  
  
Arcee raised an eyebrow at his behavior, but she seemed to be the only one to notice it. Maybe she imagined it? seeing as Smokescreen was still grinning like his usual dorky self and Jack look mutual.   
  
Dissection. it was a very touchy subject for him and not because he had to dissect a frog for school or anything, it was because of his parents, they were always going on and on about capturing his ghost half, running test, experimenting, dissection, ripping him apart molecule by molecule until he was no more, it was all for in the name of science.   
  
At least it hasn't happened...Yet. But it didn't help that Danny had nightmares of it happening, he couldn't tell when he was dreaming because everything seemed so  _vivid,_ him being strapped down on the cold metal table, various sharp and pointy objects lying about and glistering eerily in the light, the awful smell of ectoplasm hitting the air when he felt the pain of be cut open; sometimes it was done carefully and at other times roughly imprudent. And then came the screams; his screams at every harmful action until finally Danny would scream his way into reality,jerking up in bed sweating profusely and sobbing into his pillow.   
  
No one would question the bags under his teary red eyes the next morning, and throughout the day he would try to avoid his parents. Because the fear was still there. Because the pain was just too real.  
  
And Smokescreen just hit a sensitive wound that was still trying to heal; to forget.   
  
Perhaps he needed therapy? nah, Vlad needed it more then he did, along with a ghost proof straight jacket. The thought made him smile a bit as he calmed somewhat. Danny could still hear the others following him though but and at good distance, with any luck the other's didn't notice his slip up, he didn't need to appear weak-or emotionally unstable for that matter- in front of them and was constantly needed to be watched on like a fragile invalid infant.  
  
When the reached the main hanger he noticed that Raf was perched on Bumblebee's shoulder looking a bit drowsy while the guardian had a look of relief as the boy moved closer to his face. Ratchet and Optimus were talking again, but he managed to pick up pieces of conversation "He shouldn't go Optimus, that stunt he pulled proves that he has the mindset of a child! Danny shouldn't go on the mission if he's going to act so immaturely." Ratchet whispered but it came out like a harsh hiss.  
  
"But he isn't bound by orders either Ratchet, he should be allowed to make his own decisions, whether their outcome to be good or bad. Whatever he chooses will always have consequences."    
  
Ratchet scoffed, then he noticed Danny come into the room "you! you and Smokescreen better not start a prank war, we had enough of that back on cybertron thanks to the twins" Danny noticed Ratchet shudder like he was recalling a bad memory.   
  
"Wasn't planning on it." Danny replied.   
  
The others also arrived and Optimus chose that it was right time to start talking again "Smokescreen and Danny, you two will stay behind and help clean up the main area" Smokescreen was about to protest as was Danny, but it looked like the Prime could read thoughts "as for why, Smokescreen you kidnapped him and Danny retaliated, you two remain at the base until stated otherwise. The rest of you shall come with me."   
  
Danny had his mouth agape as he just floated there thinking  _did he just ground me? on my first day of being here? come on! can't he give a guy a break?_  while Smokescreen just had a dejected look as his face remained down cast "yes sir." was mumbled out.   
  
Optimus noticed Miko trying to sneak away "and Miko shall help as well since she was a part of the kidnapping." Miko groaned in response, turning on her heel and rerouted to the cleaning supplies. "Ratchet, open up the ground bridge." As he and the others gathered in front of the giant tunnel entrance that Danny just noticed,  _how did I miss that?_  
  
Ratchet complied as he pulled the lever down resulting the tunnel to spring to life with teal blue's and green's with the little cracks of purple. Danny's mouth dropped in awe at the giant swirling vortex before him. "What is that?" he asked Ratchet in a awe struck voice which caught the medic by surprise for a moment before returning to his cross expression.  
  
"It's the ground bridge; a transportation portal that can send you anywhere on the planet."   
  
Danny nodded with a small smile. "Autobots, transform and roll out." Optimus called out and they did. Optimus transformed into a Peterbilt truck before disappearing into the vortex, followed by Arcee who was now a motorcycle, Bulkhead transformed into what looked like some type of altered off-road military vehicle and Bumblebee into a Urbana 500. Just seeing that magic happen made him want to faint with joy. Once they left, the portal disappeared as well.   
  
"That was so cool." Danny whispered in admiration as he looked up at Ratchet with excited glittering eyes. Ratchet shook his head and muttered something he didn't catch. Danny sighed adverting his gaze when he saw the water mess that was on the floor and splashes on the walls, he didn't know how it got there but he could leave that to his imagination.  
  
Miko came back frowning looking unimpressed with three mops in one arm while hauling a decent sized cart filled to the brim with cleaning supplies in the other. Danny floated over and reached in and grabbed a spray bottle and a wring bucket before grabbing a mop Miko handed him. Smokescreen pulled out a ragged blanket-seeing that a normal rag just wasn't gonna cut it- along with a customized mop that reached up to his waist. Danny observed Miko's expression as she walked over to one of the biggest splatters and began to mop it up, her profile just read a bored 'whatever' look causing him to wonder."Hey Miko, why are you so calm about this?"   
  
The girl just shrugged uncaring in response "this is a weekly occurrence for me, when ever I make a mess of something Doc bot over there  _always_ wants it cleaned up. It just doesn't faze as much anymore" she said before going back to her work.   
  
Danny hummed thoughtfully in response before getting a happy expression "well why don't we make it more fun?"   
  
His two cleaning companions stopped what they were doing and turned to him with questioning looks. "How?" they both asked in unison, they both looked kinda of excited at his claim.   
  
"Well why don't we turn it into a competition? first one to get the base clean the fastest wins." when their hopeful turned to doubtful Danny hurriedly continued "hey! there can even be music! Raf, can you turn some music on?" he called over.   
  
The boy in question looked at him and nodded as he opened up his laptop "what should I turn on?"   
  
Danny grinned "Dubstep Nightcore, Harder Better Faster Stronger." The three gave him weird looks and now it was his turn to shrug "what? I listen to it often." Raf proceeded to type it in and clicked on the first video to pop up, while it loaded it Raf quickly plugged in some speakers and turned up the volume. a Techno auto-tuned voice with a catchy beat entered their ears.  
  
 _"Work it harder  
make it better  
do it faster  
makes us stronger   
  
more than ever _  
 _hour after  
our work is  
never over"  
  
_Danny watched as their feet slowly tapped and their heads bopped in rhythm "we could also throw in some dance moves for extra points!" after he said that he knew they were both on board as they nodded vigorously as grins etched their faces.   
  
"Frag yeah!"  
  
Danny arched an eyebrow at the term but didn't question it "alright the competition takes place...Now!"   
  
And thus the three split up hurriedly as they quickly went to clean the base.  
  
  
 _ **~~~~~~TFP-Decepticons ~~~~~~**_  
  
Soundwave had been working four earth days straight gathering information on their new enemy at Megatron's request, the internet proved to be very helpful in the task seeing as those flesh-bags couldn't help posting everything they witnessed every second.   
  
So far the con without a face had gathered enough for the debriefing with the Decepticon warlord.   
  
"Interesting." Megatron said thoughtfully as he looked back at his communication's officer."That would explain the origin of his abilities, seeing as those fleshlings couldn't possibly perform such powers as he. Tell me Soundwave, does our enemy have any known weaknesses?"   
  
Soundwaves face plate cleared and showed a image. It showed information on different weapons that apparently used different forms of ectoplasm. "What are the weapon specs?" Soundwave's face showed the word 'unknown' before pulling up another article, stating that the world's top renowned ghost hunters, scientist, researchers and the weapons manufacturer was by a couple who went by the name's Jack and Madeline Fenton, their research has been kept off limits due to them not wanting children trying to recreate their work and getting hurt in the process.   
  
Megatron nodded before speaking "Soundwave I want you to track their whereabouts and try to gain access to their research, meanwhile I'll gather the troops to see if we can lure Danny Phantom out of hiding." And with that Megatron walked off through a hallway entrance to rally up the Decepticon forces and make a trip to Florida, no doubt that the Autobots already had the ghost boy in their base but a ground bridge can fix that once Prime hear's that they were on the move.  
  
Optimus was almost predicable if you had the spark to sit there and move all the correct pieces into play, and then sit back to watch the fireworks start.   
  
No cocky dead teenager was gonna cross him and get away with it, especially when he could be helpful with destroying the Autobot cause once and for all.   
  
  
 __ **~~~~~~~~~~~~**


	6. As the flames danced

_**~~~~~~~~~~~~** _

_**~~~~~~TFP~~~~~~**_  
  
Bumblebee and Arcee had split off from the group to scope the area ahead. Since Arcee had a lighter frame out of the two, she was stealthily moving along the sturdier branches in the trees like a deadly jungle cat not making a sound. Meanwhile on the ground Bumblebee navigated fairly quickly through the forested area, not being heard or seen which was quite a feat due to his brightly colored paint job. Bulkhead and Optimus weren't too far behind, they were keeping in contact with Ratchet for activity change within the area, who knew how long the connection would last due to the thick overgrowth.   
  
Bumblebee peaked around a boulder, observant optics scanning the space for the enemy. He was both relieved and disappointed when there was nothing there before proceeding to run across the clearing to the thick covering of trees on the other side. The rustle of leaves above signaled him to look up just as Arcee crouched down on the lower branches.  
  
"Bee." She called "Decepticon drones are doing a sweep in that area-" she pointed it out with a nod "- so be careful, were getting close. Contact the others and tell them our progress." Bumblebee gave a curt nod in understanding "while you do that I'll keep watch." And with that she vanished into the tree again, leaving the scout alone to relay their findings to the rest of their comrades.  
  
Bumblebee activated his com.link pinging it to Bulkhead's frequency, the older mech picked up almost instantly. "Hey Bee what's up?"   
  
Bumblebee looked around double checking if the area was safe  **"the sky"** he replied cheekily.   
  
He smiled behind his battle mask mouth piece at hearing Bulkhead's chuckle. "Ha ha no seriously kid, anything happening over there with you and 'Cee?" He nodded even though his friend couldn't see it.   
  
 **"Uh huh, were getting close, Arcee saw some cons a little ways from where I'm at now, speaking of which, how long until you guys get here?"  
**  
"most likely a minute and a half, give or take."  
  
Bee could practically see the other cybertronian shrug on the other end  **"alright, yeah okay. Sounds good."**  He said distractedly, his head swiveled this way and that, constantly trying to keep up with his surroundings listening for a possible threat.  _I could of swore I heard a branch snap over there..._ So absorbed at the task at hand he barely registered his com. shut off as Bulkhead ended the call with a quick   
  
"see you in a bit".    
  
The fragrance of sun soaked pine needles was a welcomed scent to his abused ventilation systems. His tanks threaten to purge themselves at the thought of what transpired almost half an hour earlier. The last time he smelt something that horrible was when he and Bulkhead had ground bridged to New York in the Midtown area where they were investigating a strange energy frequency coming from the underground sewage system. It was quiet for the most part of the mission; that was until what looked like a red and blue dressed human figure darted pass so quickly he was hardly seen, followed by a roaring, giant man lizard barreling after the former. The two blinked in shock at what they weren't sure of what they'd just saw, but they were pulled from their thoughts when the ground began to rumble-followed by a flood of dirty water.  
  
Next thing they knew they were getting a full on assault full of sewage water as the duo was thrown about in the polluted current. They smelt rank for a week after that, and Smokescreen only then arrived two weeks after on earth. Lucky bot.  
  
Bumblebee drifted back into reality, those thoughts were irrelevant to the task at hand and he needed to remain focused, otherwise he'll end up dead.   
  
Finally Bulkhead and Optimus arrived just as Arcee dropped out of the tree she was in "found out what their guarding; looks like an Energon mine, just east from here." She announced nodding her head in the appointed direction. Optimus nodded for her to lead the way, a brief flash of a smirk was seen before Arcee back flipped twisting while airborne to angle her body in the right direction, a crouched landing for a few seconds before sprinting off, Bumblebee hot on her heels followed by Optimus and Bulkhead.  
  
 _ ** _~~~~~_ _~~~~~~~_  **_  
  
Once they got to their intended destination, they realized they were near the edge of a ravine leading down to a rocky hill side. Ducking behind large boulders monitoring the enemy below. There were only two drones at the mouth of the recently tunneled cave. How recent? probably made a month ago. It was kinda odd how there were only two Decepti-drones out keeping watch, but perhaps there were more inside?  
  
"So Optimus," Arcee started "whats the plan?"   
  
Optimus remained silent for a few seconds before answering "Arcee, you and I will take out the guards. Bumblebee, search and assess the situation, Bulkhead your his backup. Afterwards Arcee and I will rendezvous to your location." He received simultaneous nods in agreement before everyone took their positions as the plan commenced. Surprisingly Optimus and Arcee found a way to get down without being seen nor heard, the Decepti-drones didn't know what hit 'em as Arcee's arm blades slid out as she decapitated one and Optimus punched a hole straight through his chest instantly killing him. A flash of yellow passed by signaling Bumblebee had entered the cave, followed by the heavy steps of Bulkhead. Optimus and Arcee dragged the bodies off out of sight in case the next shift comes to swap places only to immediately find them dead and quickly call for back up. Nuh-uh, the plan would go south so fast if they didn't take extra precaution.   
  
Now inside Bee heard faint banging and pounding, his wrist transformed to reveal a twin barrel sided blaster as he rounded a corner. Nothing. Quickly glancing behind to make sure Bulkhead was following before breaking off into a run, the noise was getting louder now. His eyes narrowed at the thought of what they'll find, mining more Energon? Building something? perhaps unearthing another relic? all those possibilities needed answering and he was gonna get them.   
  
Bulkhead was pretty much next to him now. Briefly nodding to each other weapons prepared to fire for the possible battle field that lied ahead before whipping around the next bend. Instead of being greeted by cons, the duo was met with five tunnels, sounds coming from each one. Echoing steps came from behind, Bee already knew it was Arcee and Optimus. Once they regrouped, Bumblebee couldn't help but ask  **"so what tunnel should we go through?"**    
  
Optimus looked a bit grim before replying "We'll have to split up, it'll save on time and we need to find out what they're doing, take extra precaution." The three nodded in dissatisfied acceptance before heading off into a tunnel to try to stop the eventual doom that would await them if they failed.   
  
The entry point in the cave was much brighter in comparison to the darkness he was now experiencing, the light his optics and blaster gave off barely made a difference as Bumblebee continued to walk gingerly into the darken area, listening intently for trouble to make up for his lack of sight.   
  
fifteen minutes hit and Bee was starting to have second thoughts on turning around and go find the others, something wasn't right here; rocks occasionally kept falling like it was unstable, but the sounds of mining could be heard as clear as day. So the question on his mind was: why work in a dangerous area when it looked like it was gonna cave in on them? well he was going to get his answer now as he spotted a light overhead; the racket was defiantly coming from there. Leaning against the wall was second nature, drawing his blaster out in front of him prepared to fire was instinctual as he edged to the corner off the wall. Ten seconds passed and work hasn't stopped yet,  _well it's always great to have the element of surprise_  Bumblebee mused before diving out of his hiding place with a tuck and roll and landed propped up on one knee about to fire.  
  
Bumblebee blinked dumbfounded, where were the cons? the room was empty with a light hanging over head and yet, he could still hear the noise coming from this area. Studying the space his eyes landed on a small device, hesitantly walking over he picked it up to discover it was a recording system set on replay. He angrily crushed the device in one swift movement before tossing it aside, the mining noises ceased instantly.  _Stupid cons and their stupid tricks, stupid me for falling for that._ Annoyed thoughts echoed in his head as he glared at the discarded objected.  
  
Bee paused mid sigh, was that a ticking noise he heard? something dreadful settled deep into his spark as the ticking continued. With foreboding he turned towards his right and what he saw made his eyes widen in horror. There resting innocently on the rock structure was a timer, ticking off numbers in its countdown... **_Five... Four...Three...  
  
_** Taking a running start he headed for the exit, horrible awareness hit; there was no way he was gonna make it out in time.  
  
 _ **Two...One...**_  
  
Everything seemed in slow motion. The ticking turned into quick beeping with a light flashing red signaling tauntingly about his upcoming predicament, instead of an explosion it sent out a strong vibration through out the loose walls, debris was falling everywhere as the pebbles gradually changed in size. The exit was so close but he was instantly stopped in his escape as vast amounts of boulders rained down on him instantly pinning him, pain erupted in his doorwings as they promptly got crushed by the onslaught as he let out a silent scream, his doorwings were quite sensitive and now with the ongoing rocks piling up on him he might as well had been pouring acid on them. Bumblebee feebly reached for the escape rout, almost begging for it to come closer before it vanished behind a pile of rocks, the pounding of rocks stopped and the rubble had settled. All was silent.  
  
He was trapped in the darkness... Alone.  
  
 _ ** _~~~~~_ _~~~~~~~  
_**_  
Arcee coughed out the dust that entered her vents, she had just avoided a cave in when the tunnel turned out to be a trap. She stumbled about in the dust cloud that followed her out, she needed to find the others. That's when the ground began shaking, much more intense then the mini earthquake that went off in her appointed tunnel, Arcee steadied herself against the wall to keep balance as the rumbling continued.  _Just wait it out, it'll be over soon._  She mentally told herself as a small shred of comfort.   
  
True to her belief, it did. Arcee sighed before taking an uneasy step forward, followed by a much stronger one. A determined look settled on her face before taking off with a running start.   
  
Finally reaching the start up point, she searched all the tunnels the others had gone through only to find them blocked off at the end by rubble, and at each one she called for her teammates names. No answer was heard, she growled in irritation "ugh! this is just like last time when we got split up in a cave with Megatron and  _Starscream_ ," she spat out the last name with so much bile that if words alone could kill, Starscream would of been dead a long time ago before entering the fifth entrance that was on the far left "maybe the others found another way out". After the tunnel ended it open up to clearing, she jumped back in surprise. "So there is cons here after all." Arcee muttered angrily. There were about forty in total, bumbling about, some were looking at a handheld device that was displaying something as they shouted things like "the sonic pulse went off," and "we have to leave quickly." or "tell the others."  
  
Upon searching for her missing teammates, a familiar shade of blue caught her eye, swiveling her head to see of a large amount of Energon crystals that easily towered over her height, strange though that they went processing the fuel into cubes for easier transport, instead there were a couple of them huddled around it at the base doing something. Arcee huffed silently, it was obvious they weren't here which meant she was gonna have to turn around. A few minutes passed before they dispersed and headed for the center of the clearing where the obvious higher-up of the drones stepped forward "alright everyone, we have at least twenty-three minutes to get outta here before the whole place goes kablooey, double check and make sure we didn't forget anything." It's audience gave a chorus of "understood D-165" before they disassembled from their rough circle and began picking up tools, lights among other things.   
  
Arcee frowned eyes trailing back to the crystallized fuel stash, it looked like a timer planted on the side of it upon closer inspection "what are they-" realization cut her off as her eyes widen in alarm; the sudden spike in activity, the cave ins, the flipping mined Energon crystal that wasn't being deported, it all added up. Megatron planned this, it was a trap rigged to blow!  
  
She barely registered that she was running until she was entering another tunnel that one of her comrades had entered. Scrambling at the rock pile that was in front of her she hastily tried to removed the rocks in front of her. "Optimus! Optimus!?" her cries went unanswered as her hands pulled desperately at the rubble. It was no use, there were too many rocks and there wasn't enough time to get her leader out let alone the others.  
She clawed at her head nervously desperately trying to think up a plan to help her team- no  _family_ \- out of this dangerous situation "come on think Arcee!" she berated herself "there's gotta be a way to get them out!"   
She opted to pacing to hopefully stimulate some ideas and to try to keep her mind from drifting to all her lost partners, Tailgate, Cliff jumper...  
  
Briskly shaking her head at the thought "gotta stay on track. There's gotta be something you can do, If only I could just phase through the rocks so I can pull the-" Arcee paused mid sentence as she realized what she just said. Of course! the Phase Shifter! but it was back at base with Smokescreen but maybe if she hurried she can get back here in time.   
  
Nothing was changing her mind now, running through the dark tunnels recalling where the turns came and jumping over rocks. It felt like forever before she burst out of the cave into the open air, the sun still shining brightly offering its warmth on the troubled warrior, but time was at the essence and it couldn't be wasted by basking in its warmth not even for a second. Propelling herself upwards she transformed mid air into her vehicle mode (which was a motorcycle in case you've forgotten) and drove up the rocky hillside, and then driving along the dirt path into the forest.  
  
Arcee expertly avoided anything that got into her way, trees, boulders, logs and cliffs that led off to something. She passed by the area that she and Bee were navigating through, ignoring the negative nagging thought that quietly whispered:  _might be the last time you'll ever spend time with him too._ She bit down a shout of frustration continuing forward. The trees began to thin out and Acree choose that this would be good place to call in for backup. Transforming back to bipedal mode she reached for her com. when she noticed her hands kept refusing to find purchase, she brought it back into view to examine it. No wonder why, her hand was shaking like a wet cat left in the cold, as well as the rest of her body, she was just so  _scared,_  and even that thought alone frighten her. She needed to be at the top of her game and she was just letting her fear take over her to the point where she couldn't even make a call properly. "I-I just need to relax a bit."   
She let her body go lax as she recalled calming memories. Once she was sure that she wasn't shaking (as bad) anymore she repeated the motion she did earlier as her com. clicked on connecting to the base's secret frequency.  
  
 _"*Ratchet?*"_  
  
 _"*Arcee? what happened? all of your tracking signals disappeared and you finally popped up again, whats going on over there?*"_    
  
 _"*I don't have time to explain Ratchet, but I need you to ground bridge Smokescreen over here, I need his help asap.*"_ And as an after thought she added  _"*and possibly Danny too, he might be helpful as well.*"_  
  
 _"*Arcee Optimus ordered those two to stay at the base for the trouble they cause-*"_  
  
Arcee just snapped  _"*Look Ratchet! it doesn't matter what Optimus said! unless you want our friends to die then send them over here, the rest of the team are trapped with a bomb rigged to blow and I'm running out of time just explaining this to you! just get those two over here now!*"_  
  
It was silent on the other end, maybe she went a little too far  _"*Ratchet I'm sorry it's ju-*"  
  
"*no your right.*" _She blinked, well of course she was right but she just got a little impatient and she shouldn't have gone off like that.  _"*they're on their way now.*"  
  
  
_ _ **~~~~~~DP~~~~~~**_  
   
The cleaning process was going fairly well, but somehow Smokescreen and Danny started playing pranks on each other again, it wasn't planned, it just sort of happened- nothing to big of course so Ratchet wouldn't catch wind of it. Smokey had grabbed the box of borax and 'accidentally' dumped it on Danny, snickering "oops, clumsy me. Now your as white as a ghost" Danny just glared and went back to his cleaning. Then when Smokescreen was preoccupied with wiping the walls down, Danny whipped out a a glitter pen and wrote on his doorwings "destiny gotta look fab" or something like that, the penmanship wasn't really that intelligible as Smokescreen bit back a gasp of horror, he shot Phantom with a glare of his own deadly whispering to him when he floated by "it's on Casper."   
  
Danny grinned and mockingly waved "bring it on Speed Racer."  
  
Miko surprisingly didn't want to be involved, she wanted to get done as soon as possible so she and Bulkhead could go to the 'Battle Of The Bands' later; it was Slash Monkey vs Dumpty Humpty. And if the intangi-bros came to close to her cleaning station, she would pull out her vinegar spray bottle and spray them.  
  
Ratchet had already asked- and by asked Danny meant yelled at-them to turn the music off but Miko managed to convince him that music was making the cleaning process go faster before he begrudgingly admitted defeat but managed to convince them to turn it down a bit.   
  
The cleaning was almost done anyways, Danny noticed that it actually looked better now then it did after he regained conscious.  _I bet Optimus just wanted free cleaning service_. He snorted at the thought as he mopped up the dirty water from the floor.  
  
"Three...Two...One... Dance time!" Raf called out grinning. Every so often they would pause in their cleaning when Raf shouted 'dance time', and dance battle each other. It wasn't helping though when they'll purposely try to make each other loose by making crazy faces and saying something weird.   
  
It was taking every part of Danny's will power right now to contain his laughter, Miko was moving fancily on her feet while motioning with her arms 'come at me bro!' while Smokescreen was shimming his shoulders saying "you can't take this! I'll dance you off into oblivion!" bouncing on his tip toes as he continued his stare off with the Japanese teen, neither were backing down.   
  
Hearing laughter, he turned around to see Raf and Jack- who knows where the heck he popped up from- rolling around on their backs howling with laughter "my money's on Miko!" Raf squeaked out as he continued to giggle.   
  
"No way! Smokescreen's totally gonna win!" Jack protested back, he was trying to pull himself back up with the railing but was failing miserably as he fell over again.  
  
Danny caught sight of Ratchet in his peripheral vision, turning to face the old bot he saw he was tsking. Ratchet must have realized he was being watched as he turned to face him. "See what you started?" it sounded almost accusing but he detected a different tone to it.   
  
Danny shrugged "hey it's not my fault that my awesomeness rubs off on others, can't be helped."   
  
Ratchet scowled "your being cheeky again aren't you?"   
  
Danny beamed "that's the spirit Doc! be cheeky with me! and I don't mean in the buttocks area." Danny narrowly avoided a wrench being tossed at him "geez, Miko's right you do have wretch throwing issues, I know a psychiatrist in training, I can totally sign you up for sessions with her, it would really make her day." Another wrench was thrown in response but Danny just let it pass through him " _fiiiiinnnneeee,_ I won't take you to a psychiatrist, but at least join in on the fun!"   
  
"No."  
  
"No? what are you, the Grumpy cat? come on and live a little! I won't stop bugging you till you do." If it was possible Ratchet's scowl just intensified, Danny briefly wondering if robots could get wrinkles.  
  
"No! just leave!"   
  
Danny huffed blowing a stray white strand of hair away. "Fine, whatever dude, your probably just scared that you'll lose anyways." Danny shrugged carelessly "you probably wouldn't even know how to dance even if a Just Dance game hit you face." Every living being in the base paused what they were doing, hardly believing what they just heard. Was Danny challenging Ratchet?   
  
"Excuse me?" Ratchet said walking towards the ghost.   
  
 _Oh boy, I think I just made my grave._ But Danny's mouth had other plans "you heard me retirement home." Danny just wanted to disappear now, but he didn't want to seem like a coward. He got himself into this mess and he was gonna get himself out. Moon-walking out there was probably the best choice, he was gonna go out in style "yippee Ki-yay mother-hugger ."   
  
Oh god he was so dead.   
  
"Oh  _Primus_  no! you ain't getting away with that. Raf replay that song, it's on now." Everyone gave the two some room as they watched from the sidelines.   
  
Soon enough the song returned with it's catchy auto-tuned beat. Ratchet rolled his head, popping a few satisfying kinks in his neck while fixating Danny with a stare making him feel exposed. Slowly the bot's foot tapped into rhythm while his arms swayed. Everyone was put to shame right then and there as Ratchet started busting out some moves that none of them knew the medic could do, but there he was, spinning on his heel before doing the robot, followed by something that looked suspiciously like Gangnam style. Everyones mouths dropped as Ratchet started doing a few hip hop moves and to finish, span around on his back with his knees tucked in before unfolding into it's classic pose as he lied on his side with an arm propping his head up.  
  
Finally getting back up, he dusted himself off before jabbing a finger in Danny's direction "now  _that's_ dancing, don't make battles you can't win." Yup, there was definitely a mocking tone to his voice.   
  
"True, but I still won" before anyone could rudely interrupt him Danny continued "I got you to join in on the fun didn't I? so technically I won." Danny smiled broadly "but I didn't know you had it in you, so I think everyone can agree that you won the dance off." The others began cheering as Danny joined in on it, clapping shouting his approval "a big around of applause for the Doc!" the cheers intensified, everyone was wearing a grin, even Ratchet was having trouble trying to wipe away his obvious amusement.   
  
"Alright, alright, you've made your point. Now shush." Ratchet instructed before turning away and headed back to the monitor area, tapping away at the touch screens keys instantly becoming engrossed in his work. Well the medic was fun while he lasted.  
  
"Well it looks like the cleaning's done." Smokescreen stated as he stretched, Raf had already cut the music off as per Ratchet's request and was helping them reload the cleaning supplies back into the cart. Danny flew over and placed the items he used back in and doubled checked to see if anything got left behind.   
  
Finding nothing he grabbed the handle in a tight grip "cleaning supplies go in that one closet on the left in the hall right?" he asked pointing a finger in its direction.   
  
Miko nodded tossing the empty bucket in "yup! good to see you remember that from the tour, didn't think that you would with the zoned out look you had."   
  
Danny huffed a bit irritated, he wasn't  _that_ bad. "Yeah whatever," he said with a roll of his eyes before taking off towards his destination. Just as remembered the closet pulled up and Danny opened the door and parked the cart in there before shutting the door once more. Pulling out his cellphone to check in with his parents, he was a bit annoyed at the lack of cellphone service "great no bars, hopefully they won't want me here any longer so I can go home."  Danny whispered to himself. This has probably been one of the longest times he had to stay in ghost form for a while, the longer he stayed the longer his energy depletes. If his first encounter with Vlad has taught him anything, its to never trust those who even seem nice when you first meet. They could back stab and try to manipulate you if they detect any form of leverage.  
  
Danny shook his head clearing the negative thoughts that wanted to consume his mind. Better get back to the others.   
  
When he entered the main hanger he noticed the solemn expression that flashed on Ratchet's face, bowing his head down as he gripped the monitor desk like it was the only thing keeping him standing. Danny was hesitant to approach the old mech, after all, Danny and him didn't really leave on good terms earlier. He floated a bit closer and was able to hear Ratchet talking to someone- perhaps with a com. device like the Fenton phones?  
  
 _"*no your right.*"_ Ratchet sighed wearily, whatever was said to him left him shaken _"*they're on their way now.*"_ Ratchet turned around slowly "and yes I know your there." Danny smiled meekly as he ducked his head, it was then that Smokescreen and the humans showed up.   
  
Upon noticing the silence Smokescreen asked "did we interrupt something..?" the question lingering in the air when neither replied right away.  
  
Ratchet sighed avoiding eye contact, Danny felt his stomach drop; he didn't do something wrong right?...He didn't recall anything that would make Ratchet look like some one had just died...  
  
Finally for what seemed like decades Ratchet spoke up."Arcee needs your help; both of you-" pointing at Danny and Smokescreen who in turn exchanged glances, Danny's was one of worry and Smokescreen was one of interest "-I'm firing up the ground bridge, and you have to hurry." as if on cue the iridescent vortex swirled to life in the gaping hole in the wall, briefly reminding him of the Fenton portal back home when it first activated-with him in it.   
  
Danny suppressed the shudder that threaten to rake his body. He heard Miko groan behind him "Aww! how come newbie here gets to go? I never get invited to secret missions."   
  
Jack let out an irritated huff "how come you always have to complain? seriously Miko you should know how dangerous it is already and you just want to put your life on the line because you think its some sorta of game called 'hero vs villain', you don't have powers or anything to protect you."  
  
Danny fully turned around now watching the argument continue. Miko look at lost for words, her mouth stumbled to form something before she finally got a grasp on her words "you know what Jack? you wouldn't understand would you? just as naive as always." She sneered back her eyes sparked with spite causing Jack to take a step back, a affronted look clear on his face.  
  
"What? I'm not  _naive_ , your just being stubborn as always. At least Danny is  _dead_ with supernatural powers, it's not like he can die again."   
  
Something boiled in Danny, rage perhaps? how did he know whether or not he could die again? Jack never seen a ghost get  _wasted_ before like he had, so he had no right say they couldn't die again, like he was knowledgeable in the fields of the supernatural anyways. He wanted to insult something back but bit his tongue, if he let his temper get the better of him he might say something he would regret. Instead Danny let out a silent growl to decrease some of his built up anger.   
  
Miko let out scoff "whatever Jack" before angrily spinning on heel and turned away, but before she left she called out to him "careful on the way out Danny, you might feel a little nauseous." Came her cryptic message before the stomping of her boots echoed on the polished floor indicating her departure.   
  
"Hurry up Danny! I'm leaving with or without you!" Smokescreen called before disappearing in the portal. Danny sighed before hastily flying after him. Danny was momentarily awed by the colors swirling around him, it was beautiful; almost reminded him of a nebula that was sparking in every direction, just as quick as it came it ended when a bright flash of light. Danny blinked his eyes to find himself in a forest, no sign of the rainstorm that was in Jasper anywhere, just the tropical air that hung appealingly in the air, were they in Florida? Miko's warning now made sense; it felt like his ghost core and heart had plunged themselves into his stomach, not to mention he felt a little off balance.   
  
Most. Intense. Portal. Transwarp.  _Ever_.  
  
Shaking himself to clear the feeling he flew after Smokescreen who seemed unaffected.  _Probably due to the fact that he was Cybertronian, duh._  Danny rolled his eyes when he saw how Smokescreen was grinning at him "get seasick like how the humans do?"   
  
"Nope." he blatantly lied making the 'P' pop.   
  
"Liar" Smokescreen laughed running off to find his awaiting teammate Arcee. Danny kept up with him, flying hardly caused any strain on him.   
  
"Okay maybe not as bad, but I'm a ghost remember? besides, the Ghost zone has tons of portals so I'm used to traveling through vortex's." He admitted with a wave of his hand.   
  
"Wait, whats a Ghost Zone?" Smokescreen asked raising an eyebrow. Oops, he didn't mean for that piece of information to get out. Hopefully The bot didn't see the cringe he made.   
  
"Oh, you know, just a alternate dimension where all the ghost live."   
  
Smokescreen blinked "seriously? there's a dimension for ghost? huh, who would of thought-hey! did you tell Ratch?" When Danny shook his head he continued "I bet he would love to hear about it, science is one of his fortes -along with hurling a stray wrench-, maybe he would be interested in that. But nothing really excites that old geezer nowadays so don't get your hopes up. Hey look its Arcee!" With that Smokescreen began to wave at her, dorky grin in place, but she didn't seem to notice them "you think she sees us? maybe I should bark."   
Danny facepalmed as his shoulders shook with mirth "bark! bark- I mean woof woof arf! yes! I think she sees us."   
  
Danny looked over at the weird bot "if she asks, I'm not friends friends with you."   
  
Smokescreen raised a hand-or was it servo?- to his chest and let out a mock gasp "that hurts you know that? it hurts me right here." Danny just rolled his eyes whilst shaking his head.  
  
Arcee stormed over and kicked Smokescreen in the shin, it kinda reminded him of something Sam would do to Tucker- scratch that; that is something she would  _totally_ do, Danny mused with a growing smirk.   
  
"What the heck is wrong with you?! The cons trapped our team under rubble in a cave about to blow in around seventeen minutes and your joking around!?" Arcee threw her arms up for more of an affect.  
  
Danny and Smokescreen remained silent as their eyes widen in horror. Neither knew what to say.   
  
Danny blinked before his face turned somber "which way?" but the way he said it sounded more like a demand then a question.   
  
"They're this-" she was cut off when a black blur flew past "-way." Danny was gone. quickly snapping out of her daze the duo took off after him.   
  
Danny was speeding ahead, trees flying pass his vision as he focused on the destination ahead.  
  
 _Nasty Burger building ahead, his parents, his sister Jazz, his friends Sam and Tucker and lastly his teacher Mr. Lancer were gagged and bonded with Ectoplasmic restraints in the half destroyed food joint. Fear displayed openly on their faces.  
  
Danny was just recovering from using his Ghostly Wail on his dark self, the building that Dark Phantom had crashed into crumbled on top of him burying him under rumble. Just when he seemed defeated he arose from the trashed building, scraped and bruised and pretty much bald now that his fiery hairdo was extinguished, he grabbed his side painfully "well, that's it, isn't it?" he questioned mockingly. Danny glared "times up." he announced before pulling out his Fenton thermos and began sucking the weaken ghost in. Before he disappeared into the depths of the device he gave one last warning before he did "huge mistake! now your too late to save them." The Dark Phantom gave one last cry of anguish before he was gone. Recapping the lid as relief flooded him. _I did it,  _he thought with a small smile, but it was short lived when The Dark Phantom's message made sense._ _"Oh no" he whispered as_ _the timer finally hit the danger zone as it beeped in warning before exploding altogether.  
  
The saucer barrels overheated and began to crack as steam shot out of them. Danny ran as fast as his tired legs would carry him towards his trapped friends and family, he tried in vain to call his transformation rings to him so he could fly the extra distance but failed "I can't go ghost!" he gasped, not paying attention to where he was running, too focused on them as tried to get closer, he tripped on some fallen rubble and fell onto his stomach.  
  
It was the last time he was going to take in their faces he realized as sweat rolled down his face. They all look fearful, knowing that it was going to be their end, but they also had a look of understanding on their faces, accepting their fate and probably to discourage him from feeling too badly from not being able to save them, he hated and loved them for that.   
  
Then the explosion came, throwing him back with so much force his world spun, his heart quenched horribly in his chest as tears rolled down his face. Then everything slowed down..._  
  
He glowered as the growl arose in his throat.  _I'm not letting that almost happen again,_ he vowed.  _Ugh! those Decepticons are just like Vlad, pulling a filthy trick like that to get one over on their enemies. No honor whats so ever._  Danny's movements became quicker and more reckless, sometimes when he was weaving through the trees he would nick one of them, barely acknowledging the pain that radiated from the inflicted spot.    
  
He eventually had to stop once he went headfirst into a Decepti-drone, landing onto his back. He let out grunt as the force caused his head to rattle, with a few good shakes his vision cleared as he looked up into the red visor that was presumably his eyes, he immediately fell into a battle stance. Decepticon troops littered the clearing and Danny was just able to make out a cave behind the thick crowd. Danny gritted his teeth once everyone's attention was on him, the hum of their weapons coming online in sync, the static in the air made the hair on his neck stand on end. Every barrel of their guns was aimed at him, ready to fire at any moment if he moved. Danny scowled "I don't have time for this!" in response their weapons glowed in warning as the electronic whine increased.   
  
 _Now would be a good time for backup to arrive._ Then Danny just decided that the best thing to do was disappear. It was somewhat entertaining watching the cons make a fool of their selves as they frantically looked around for the missing teen. "Guess who?" came the echoing voice of the ghost boy before a green blast shot the head clean off one of them just as he reappeared. Enemy fire came his way, expertly dodging them as he flew towards his next victim, turning his hand intangible he stuck it into the con's chest before tearing out its cords and wires which were like internal organs in retrospect, they sparked a few times before the con fell over and the visor dimmed into nothing. Danny turned around as a feral look entered his eyes causing the troops to get a little more distance but the blasts never ceased. turning his whole body intangible he flew straight through several cons before becoming tangible again, in his hands were fistfuls of wiring just as the cons collapsed, never to stand again. "Who's next?" he spat burning the wires in his fist with an ecto flame. Apparently these guys were idiots as they continued shooting.   
  
Touching another one he used his Ghost Stinger on them, cold electric sparks danced on the con's frame before it dropped still.   
  
 _ **Pew!  
  
**_ Danny hissed in pain as a blast from one of their canons singed his shoulder, the smell of charred flesh and spandex made him want to vomit, it stung almost as badly as an ectoblast but if they adjusted the settings on them they could be just as painful or even deadly. He raised a hand and fired numerous ectoblasts, some met their mark. A new flash of colors came from out of the corner of his eye instead of the colors of drone, Danny was greeted by Arcee and Smokescreen.  
  
"Backup has arrived!" Smokescreen crowed over the noise as he blasted a con in the chest. Although grateful for the assistance Danny needed them to get the others out before it was too late.  
  
"Smokescreen! go with Arcee and help get the others out!" Danny shouted ducking as a blast just missed his face.  
  
"Hold on, let me take out a few cons first to even the odds!"   
  
Danny shook his head getting a bit aggravated "there's no time! I can handle these nimrods, just get the others to safety and I'll come to help as soon as I can!" Danny grunted as he received a kick to the side sending him flailing through the air before he hit the ground roughly, definitely bruised a few ribs. "Yeah but you need my help too!" Smokescreen protested as he tried to make a path through, it wasn't helping as cons were trying to tackle him. "Smokey! I said I can handle it! now go!" Danny flew back into the brawl hands balled into fist as he let out a battle cry before diving into a con.  
  
"But I-"  
  
"Smokescreen!" Danny yelled, he was beyond angry now "go! now! make like Rihanna and 'shut up and drive'!" he managed to bit down the pained cry that burned in his throat when the con took it's claw like fingers and raked it down his side drawing beads of ectoplasm to run across the black material.  
  
"Kid you did not just-"  
  
"NOW!" Danny practically screamed, his eyes sparked brightly as green trails of energy burned from them. That got Smokescreen going, he transformed into some type of race car- Danny had his suspicions due to the rookies choice in decals-  and sped off into the dark cave entrance.   
  
Danny turned around from the fallen corpse to face the remaining troops "who else want's some!?" his voice screamed frantically, his whole form was quivering with contained adrenaline waiting to be unleashed, his core pumped erratically, his whole body was tensing preparing for the next attack. A drone charged at him, Danny charged into as well using the momentum to propel them upwards "come on klutz number one! it's time to have some fun!" once at a high enough altitude Danny grabbed the con by it's arm tightly and spun them both around into a tight circle, the wind churned loudly around them as he focused on his targets below. At last Danny released it, sending it hurling towards the earth below slicing through the air at a quick pace like a giant canon ball. His comrades realized too late when their flown off comrade careened into them, the force killing a few. Danny lowered himself closer to the ground and put on a fake smile "thank you for flying air Phantom, it was lovely having you, please come fly with us again." Danny didn't even notice until some of the cons managed to transform and head skyward, about twenty of them were airborne and were heading off in the opposite direction in retreat.   
  
Five were still left though, persistent as always as the barrage of energy blast flew towards him. Quickly pulling up a ectoshield to defend himself, hollow thuds echoed within the enclosure as they ricocheted off. Taking down the shield he flew back into the fray. Six solid punches was what it took to actually dent the cybertronian metal armor, followed by a strong ecto blast to leave a gaping hole where the assault was made before the body tipped over.   
  
The last four made a grab at him, one of Danny's limbs in one of their mitts as they began to pull. He couldn't focus properly on his energy blast, intangibility was putting to much strain on his core at the moment. Danny bit his lip as he tried to think of something else he could use against them. Finally an answer presented itself as he began to focus on his transformation rings, but instead of transforming back to human, he wanted the rings to send out an energy blast outwards like a mini explosion. After a few seconds the rings came as it did just as hoped they'll do what Danny wanted. The cons were thrown back from the impact and scrambled to get up, before they transformed and flew off.   
  
Danny panted heavily assessing his surroundings to make sure he didn't miss anyone. When all that turned up was dead bodies Danny sighed in relief, but it was short lived when he remembered the others. "Oh no."  
Summing as much energy as he could he flew into the dark cave.  
  
  
 ** _~~~~~~TFP~~~~~~_  
**  
Arcee was back to work with trying to find Optimus, when Smokescreen wasn't looking she had snatched the Phase Shifter from off his wrist, which she was glad she did because he was taking forever. The only thing that she found so far were rocks, no sign of the missing Autobot leader anywhere. Arcee had her blaster out as a form of light, her eyes trailing all over the cavern until she caught a glimpse of red. Arcee's ventilation's stopped, not daring to get her hopes up. Cautiously she walk over and gasped.   
  
It was Optimus all right, but he was unconscious and he had a huge gash on his side and was leaking Energon, it didn't look too bad, he most like passed out from the impact instead of the Energon loss. Hooking her hands under his arms, she dragged the unresponsive Autobot out of the rock pile. Once outside of the trapped space she switched the Phase Shifter off and dragged the extra weight of Optimus along.   
  
It was slow going, but she managed to get them out of the tunnel and into the forked clearing. She paused when she heard footsteps, drawing out her gun as it hummed in warning to the approaching threat.  
  
Instead of a Decepticon trooper, Acree saw the familiar-annoying- face of Smokescreen "whoa! it's me!" he exclaimed as he raised his arms to appear non threatening. Arcee huffed as her gun morphed back into her servo "should of called out ahead then. Here." Acree reached towards her wrist and pulled off the borrowed device before tossing it over, Smokescreen caught in with a look of surprise "wait, you-... Never mind" Smokescreen shook his head dismissing the thought as he placed the Phase Shifter back onto it's original place.   
  
"Hurry up and get one of them out." Acree said with a nod "we don't know how much time we have left." With a nod Smokescreen took off into one of the shafts disappearing into the dark.   
  
Arcee turned back to Optimus as she shifted him towards his uninjured side. "Don't worry Optimus," she whispered gently "were gonna make it out of here..."  
  
  
 _ ** _~~~~~_ _~~~~~~~_**_  
  
  
Smokescreen ran; legs pumping hard until he reached the blocked off end. Determination shown on his face as he clicked the device on, passing through the barrier that serrated him from his teammate. The feeling of rubble passing through him felt weird to say the least, it was like getting road-burn but with out the sting, just rough and bumpy. "Hello?" he called out hesitantly "is anyone there?"  
  
It was silent for a few moments before a groan was heard. "Bulkhead?" Smokescreen called out as he followed the noise.   
  
"Mm... Over here kid..."   
  
Finally he found him "are you alright?" he asked, only the top half of the other mech was seen. Bulkhead was lying on his back with his arms over his head, supporting the rocks above to prevent them from burying him all the way under.   
  
"Never better." Bulkhead grumbled.   
  
"Looks like the Wrecker can use a little clean up." Smokescreen joked referencing the Wreckers' motto. Bulkhead smiled grimly at that. Reaching over, Smokescreen let the intangibility spread over the downed Autobot as he grabbed his arm, the rubble easily passed through him as he moved to get up.  
  
Smokescreen noticed that Bulkhead was limping. "Leg got crushed?" he asked sympathetically.  
  
Bulkhead nodded as he let out a grunt "nothing too severe that the Doc can't fix." He reassured as Smokescreen shifted to help support his weight. "Nothing a Wrecker can't handle."   
  
Smokescreen smiled sheepishly all of the sudden, making Bulkhead get worried "what?"  
  
The rookie gave a humorless laugh "see, funny thing I forgot to mention... The whole joint's rigged to blow in a few minutes soooo...." He drawled out with a nervous frown "we need to hurry."  
  
Their pace quicken greatly at that, they didn't even slow down when they exited the rock barrier. Arcee and an slumped over Optimus came into view, upon noticing the leaking Energon they stopped. "Is he-?"  
  
"Alive?" Arcee cut in "yes he is, just unconscious but he's slowly coming to, he had already took a few steps with my help but he won't respond."   
  
Danny then appeared from the main entrance, scraped up and bleeding a weird green ooze out of his cuts, snowy hair sticking up wildly like he was dragged through the pit, he seemed to be favoring his shoulder as he gripped it gently, he look liked scrap to put it lightly.  
  
The kid smiled reassuringly "don't worry took care of them, most of them left anyways."   
  
Bulkhead frowned "kid you look horrible." but instead Danny waved him off "I've been through worst, it's not as bad as it looks."   
  
But then he blinked, studying the group for a moment before asking "wait... Where's Bumblebee?"  
  
"Still in that cave." Acree pointed "I'll go get him."   
  
"No, I'll do it."   
  
Arcee fixed him with a stare "excuse me?"   
  
"there's not enough time to make another trip back, get the others to safety." Danny said firmly, heading towards the direction only to stop instantly when Arcee called out.  
  
"I said  _I'll_ get him." Danny turned around only to see Arcee glaring at him. Smokescreen fidgeted on his feet nervously,  _why is 'Cee acting like this?  
  
_ Danny glared at her right back "what's your problem? why can't I just go get him? the whole place is gonna come down in a few minutes and you want to argue?!" Danny shouted throwing his arms up in irritation.   
  
Arcee narrowed her eyes "Well it's not my fault that I don't trust you."  
  
" _Trust?_ " Danny scoffed his lips drawn back, teeth bared "that's what this is about? trust issues!? well guess what? your gonna have to trust me now or at least have a little faith in me, I promise that I'll get Bee out safely, but I need you guys to get to safety yourselves; you already have two hurt teammates that's gonna take a bit of time to get them out. Just let me do this okay? then you can go back to your trust issues later."  
  
Smokescreen gulped nervously, if he thought long enough he could see the numbers on the timer quickly counting down in the other cave. "Arcee!" he called out, but she didn't turn around "time's running out! just let him help, after all, he did get rid of the cons out front, what more proof do you need that he's on  _our_ side?" when she still didn't answer Bulkhead picked up where Smokescreen left off.   
  
"Would you really want to feel responsible if Bee-or anyone one of us for that matter- didn't make it out knowing that there was a way that you could of prevented it?"   
  
No one spoke as the seconds ticked by, tension thick in the air as Arcee's and Danny's glare match continued. Finally Acree begrudgingly admitted defeated "if anything happens and it's  _your_ fault, I'll find and end you. Got it?" Acree whispered harshly.   
  
"Crystal." Danny muttered before taking off into the awaiting tunnel.  
  
Smokescreen sighed with relief as Bulkhead and him began walking again. Arcee gave one one last glare at the tunnel Danny disappeared into before supporting Optimus out the dark exit tunnel.  
  
It took about two minutes before they spotted daylight; it was probably around five thirty by now judging by the sun's position in the sky. It didn't take long to get back up the rocky incline to enter the forest clearing above. Optimus was starting to come too "wha..." He trailed off as he stifled a groan, his hand shooting up towards his injured side. He blinked open tired blue optics to find Acree helping him walk, she glanced up at him with concern.   
  
"Don't worry, were gonna call Ratch for a ground bridge soon."   
  
He nodded, looking around like he was trying to remember where he was.  
  
That's when the ground shook; much more intense then all the previous earthquakes that happened earlier, little wild animals scrambled to safety as a rumbling was heard.  
  
 ** _Ka-boom!_**  
  
Then they saw it; the Energon explosion flooding out of the mouth of the tunnel in a fiery outburst, neon blue flames engulfing the clearing of dead bodies.   
  
They gasped, Bumblebee and Danny were still in there!  
  
  
 ** _~~~~~~DP~~~~~~_  
**  
Danny had turned the rocks invisible until he spotted the missing Autobot, he wasn't that far from the entrance either, pinned under rocks and seemed to be losing conscious. Quickly Danny flew through the barricade as soon as intangibility washed over him and headed for him. Landing next to the giant's face he spoke "hey Bee, you still with me?" patting his face.  
  
Bumblebee's eyes fluttered open at the unexpected touch, his eyes trailed upwards to meet the worried eyes of the ghost teenager  **"Yeah."**  He answered painfully.   
  
Danny sighed relieved "awesome, nothing's hurt right?"   
  
Upon seeing the sad optics Danny knew that the bot hadn't come out lucky either  **"just my back and my doorwings, but I think I can walk."** Bumblebee beeped.   
  
Danny hissed sympathetically before patting his arm as a sign of comfort. "Don't worry, I'm going to get you out of here, cave's about to 'go boom' too ."  
  
Bumblebee's eyes widen as he tried to push himself up, before he warbled in pain as the pressure on his wings increased "hey hey hey!" Danny quickly tried to stop him, hands held out in front of him as he tried to calm him down "it's okay, just relax. I'm gonna phase us out of here but I'm going to need you to stay still okay?" when he received a nod Danny grabbed hold of his hand "we're gonna go nice and so not to disturb your injuries, just hold on a second."   
  
Danny closed his eyes and focused on his powers, they kept fizzling out due to his weaken state so he needed to really focus on them to get them to come out. The familiar emptiness washed over him and spread over to his companion. Danny opened his eyes and let out a small smile, gently tugging the bot's hand to urge him forward. Bee stood up as Danny floated, taking gingered steps out of the rubble and into the open space of the cavern.    
  
Danny formed as Bumblebee's guide, not flying too far but kept pace with him. It was probably a minute as darken walls started to lighten, they would be reaching the exit soon. But that's when the ground shook, Danny quickly steadied Bumblebee so he wouldn't fall due to lack of balance. "Oh no." Danny said in horror "it's happening..."   
  
Neon Blue flames were racing towards them and they could already feel it's heat, there was no way they were gonna be able to outrun that in their weaken state. "Quick! get behind me!" Danny yelled, Bumblebee unconsciously obeyed.   
  
Danny's adrenaline spiked heightening his instincts and giving him an energy boost, Danny threw his arms out in front of him, ecto energy sparked at his finger tips before dispersing to form a giant force field to shield them, the explosion reached them hitting the dome like a wild storm colliding on the outside as horrible Déjà vu washed over him.  
  
Danny would've marveled at the pretty hues of blues if it weren't for the fact that it would burn him to a crisp.   
  
Danny glanced behind him "h-how you holding up?"  
  
Bumblebee didn't answer, his eyes seemed glazed over permanently staring at the explosion outside in terror. The flames pounded on the outside like thunder, just as menacing as a lions roar. Even with a shield up Danny could still feel the heat trying to penetrate the dome, his ghost core rabidly dispersed cold air through him giving him a sort of heartburn. The onslaught continued making him worried; it was like another world out there, nothing but neon blue fire clashing against the barrier, would it ever cease?  
  
Danny's eyebrows shot up in fear as heard a cracking sound, swiveling his head upwards he noticed that his forcefield was breaking due to the strain. "Oh crud." came his shaky whisper.


	7. I can keep a promise

_**~~~~~~TFP~~~~~~**  
_ ** _  
  
_**"No!" Arcee yelled though it wouldn't do anything.She stood frozen in place, staring at the explosion with glazed optics in unbelievable horror. The ravine below was engulfed in fire, a fiery pit of an abyss more like it. Explosion after explosion, wave after wave it never seemed to cease as the black smog lifted into the graying sky like their hope for the duo's survival who were still M.I.A..  
Arcee was so deep in her despairing thoughts that she didn't even realize Bulkhead started speaking as she blinked away the blurriness her optics had gathered.  
  
"...Do you think they're?..." He trailed off not wanting to finish the sentence, the unanswered question that floated heavily in their processors.  
  
Smokescreen shook his head briskly "no, they have to be alive, they're going to make it through, you'll see. A-And I bet Danny is phasing them through the flames as we speak!" even though he sounded confident, his reassuring's did nothing to ease their fears. Optimus couldn't even state his opinion on the matter seeing as he was unconscious again, either from the explosion or from the energon lost, but they hoped it was the former rather then the later.    
  
Bulkhead couldn't meet the rookie's gaze as his turned grim " I don't know kid, Phantom looked in pretty bad shape the last time we saw him. I didn't really want to send him in to get Bee because of it." Bulkhead admitted, from the corner of his optic he saw Smokescreen's face flinch as a hint of worry shown through.   
  
"You didn't send him in; none of us did, Phantom went in on his own terms, we just accepted it." Arcee corrected, her tone was cold and a steely gaze staring straight ahead, searching the fire for any sign of life. "But I shouldn't have agreed so easily, I should of have done a better job at stopping him though."   
  
"Arcee don't beat yourself up about it" Smokescreen said his hopeful mood returning "besides Danny promised he was-"  
  
but she cut him off "yeah he promised, but look where that got him now!"  
  
"but he promised!" Smokescreen yelled back "and I believe he's gonna stick to it, we just have to wait it out."   
  
"And-" Bulkhead interjected "we need to get Optimus back to base to receive medical attention pronto."   
  
Arcee scanned Bulkhead over until her eyes landed on his still sparking foot from the few severed wires that were exposed. "Don't forget about yourself Bulk. Fine, I'll go com Ratchet again and see if he can send a bridge to this area. Bulkhead, keep watch over the entrance, Smokescreen keep an eye on Optimus, but if you see them go down there and help them, got it?" when Arcee received two simultaneous nods she took off to get to the drop point.   
  
  
 ** _~~~~~~TFP-Decepticons~~~~~~_**  
  
Knockout followed the drones as they blasted a giant hole into the side of the Axion Labs building, they were currently in the one that VladCo owned in Florida. Apparently Soundwave's snooping through the Fenton's research paid off a bit when he came across several mentioning's of a rare energy component that they used on pretty much all their Ghost hunting technology. So this was how Knockout was spending his Friday; instead of buffing the last remains of scratches adorning finish from their last confrontation with the Autbots, he was tasing the panicky fleshies that called themselves scientists-  _puh-lease, more like clueless imbeciles walking around in their fancy lab coats as they learn simple breakthroughs-_ with his Energon Prod before continuing to search for the green rock that they were looking for. He spun his signature weapon skillfully between his finger tips before it immediately shot out; quick as a snake, and brought down another fleeing human leaving it to a convulsing heap. Knockout sighed bitterly. It would've been so much  _faster_  if Breakdown was here.  
  
Knockout's face contracted into a snarl at the sudden reminder before striking out again.  
  
Sadly his former partner was no longer among the living thanks to that accursed lowlife Airachnid. He accepted the fact that Breakdown was gone, but he still hoped that he was still out there. And then one day when they heard about the ex-wrecker's signal popping back online and went to investigate, Knockout happen to decide he was gonna tag along.  
  
Down goes another skin-job.  
  
Oh the relief that flooded through him when he saw his friend's face appear through the smoke from the broken debris, Only to immediately turn to confusion when that wasn't Breakdown's voice speaking back. When Knockout took 'Breakdown' onto the Nemisis, he found out that it was the newly renamed Cylas who took Breakdown's... Remains and put them on like it was his everyday attire turned his shock into horror, to enraged to downright murderous, he wanted nothing more that to tear that armor off of Cylas and rip off his limbs.  
  
Placing the Energon Rod back onto the latch on his back, he dusted off his hands as he surveyed his work. “Twenty fleshies down in just under two minutes, yes, I am just that good.” he said in a satisfied tone.  
  
Well at least now Silas was his new lab rat to see just  _how_ much a human can endure.  
  
Instantly he went over to the monitors, digits flying over the conveniently decent sized keys hacking his way through a few files. He may not be Soundwave who had renowned hacking abilities but he knew the basics so he could hack his way into certain things. "Oh looky here, it seems Axion does have some ghost research files. Hmm... But it remains just that,  _research,_ " Knockout rolled his optics in distaste "and there's so little of it, hardly anything to go by, proving humans are useless once again _._  All about historical articles and myths, mainly originating from the old town of Salem." Looking around a bit more, he came across a file displaying a image of a rose with a dark purple stem. There wasn't much info on them, something about burning demons or something but it sounded promising. Going through a few more files he found out that VladCo was helping in  founding a government agency dubbed the Guys in White where all the information found was being sent to, it would explain why there were scientists here studying in the paranormal. He downloaded it's contents onto a drive for later.        
  
Something green caught his optic, turning in its direction he spotted the thing they came here for behind a cracked door from all the action. He pried the doors apart, reaching in until he grasped the glowing rock as he studied it with interest. His scanners showed unknown energy readings emitting from it. “Found it!” he called to the drones in an obnoxiously loud voice. The vehicons instantly halted in their rummaging through broken hanger doors and came towards the CMO, starring at the glowing crystal with that blank stare of theirs. Knockout admittedly found that creepy as he shuddered openly. “Come on lets go already, the sooner we get back the sooner _I_ can get back to my buffing and see if your incompetent drone buddies managed to blow up a few Autobots.”  
  
Not really caring if they followed or not, he grabbed a dangerously looking device that was abandon during the skirmish so he could test it out on Cylas later-  _see? I do care-_  before heading out the hole they came in through and called in for a bridge.  _“*Knockout to Soundwave, tell Lord Megatron that I've acquired his glow stone that he was being such a diva about earlier and telling us that I better not screw this up. Can you believe him?! I'm not Starscream*!”_  Knockout ranted the last bit mostly to him self, besides, Megatron could have sent his second in command Dreadwing for this little 'bust in and run out' job but instead he sent Knockout, So he had every right to be a bit testy.     
  
He waited for a few seconds before the ground bridge whisked into existence. Just as he was about to go through he heard spraying noises. Turning around he caught the two vehicons in the act spraying Decepticon graffiti on the damaged building writing 'Decepticons rule' and were just in the process of writing 'Auto' before Knockout cut in.  
  
“Just what do you two think your doing?!”  
  
When the drones just exchanged nervous glances in reply, Knockout sighed in annoyance before holding out his free hand. Once the guilty cons handed them over Knockout grinned. “Well at least when you do Decepticon graffiti, do it right.” He announced before shaking up the can and proceeded with spraying his message, causing a few of them to snicker.  
  
 ** _~~~~~~DP~~~~~~_  
**  
Danny could feel the numbness become apparent as the panic set in while sweat dripped down his face, the ectoplasm in his veins was rushing at an erratic pace trying to get his adrenaline going. But the fight or flee response wasn't going through the fourteen year old's mind, he was too focused on trying to prevent his shield from failing. But it proved fruitless as spiderweb fractures continued to spread across the dome rapidly.   
  
 ** _Look how your failing. You can't save everyone. Your. Not. A. Hero. So. Stop. Pretending. That. You. Are!_  
**  
“great, here comes the negativity.” Danny muttered under his breath.  
  
 _ **Your a disappointment, just a creepy little boy with creepy little powers who can't do anything right.**_  The voices in his head echoed. “Shut...Up...” Danny whispered angrily but the voices merely laughed before chanting:   
  
 ** _What are you?_  
  
 _A Failure?_  
  
 _A Freak?_  
  
 _A Disappointment?_  
  
 _A Monster?_  
  
 _A Liar?_  
  
 _Guess what? your all the above._**  
  
The heat outside the barrier was becoming more apparent causing his ghostcore to pulse harder trying to keep his body temperature in it's natural state.  
  
 **“Phantom?...”**  
  
Danny could of swore he heard a different voice from the ones that echoed loudly. Who was it?  
  
 **“Phantom...”**  
  
There it was again, they weren't calling for him were they? the voices were right, what kind of hero perpetually lied to their parents, always came home late with cuts and bruises they so desperately try to hide that they can't explain and barely pass the school year because their grades have gotten so bad mostly from lack of sleep. That wasn't a hero it was a failure. Danny gave a bitter laugh as he shook his head “Maybe... Their right, I  _am_ a such a screw up. I promised Arcee that I would get you out of here, but it looks like I'm failing at that too..." he trailed off as he bowed his head down shamefully.  
  
 **“...Phantom...”  
  
** Danny barely acknowledged the voice this time he was just so...Tired. Numbly feeling his powers wanting to retreat back into their dormant state to rest, he felt drained; physically and emotionally, Arcee's disproving glare had really sent his spirit down making him feel a bit miserable. He just wanted to sleep and be pulled into a nice dream, one that didn't require him to place the weight of the world on his shoulders and Go Ghost to play the hero role, he didn't want to disappoint anyone anymore. "Just a mm-ice dream" Danny muttered quietly as the black dots seemed to float invitingly in front of his eyes.  
  
 **"Danny!"  
  
** the voice shouted, Danny didn't realize he closed his eyes until they had fluttered open at the sudden shout of his name when he jolted.  _Dang, who ever it is sure is persistent._ Turning around he concluded that the voice had came from Bumblebee who was currently staring at him intently before saying in a encouraging voice  **"your not a failure."  
  
** Danny faced away from the yellow bot and sighed "my powers..." he screwed his eyes shut as he felt his throat tighten, his lungs seem to constrict themselves "I've... I've used them past their limits, I promised something that looks like I'm not gonna be able to keep, so... If that doesn't shout failure... Then I don't know what does." Danny felt his arms trembling, he doubted he had enough energy to summon his intangibility at this point.   
  
 **"Danny,"**  Bee paused  **"I want you to look at me."**  When he did, though hesitantly- maybe expecting to be yelled at or he was just too exhausted he didn't even know anymore at this point- Bumblebee continued.  
  
 **"Look at all the ghost you fight! heck, you even managed to take down a few cons as well especially given your size."  
  
** "Is this pep talk going to turn into one of those 'short jokes'? cause I can see one coming on." Danny laughed, but it sounded strained like he was trying to diminish the pitying he could feel coming.  
  
 **"No."** Bee continued  **"I was simply referring to your body mass-"**  
  
"Oh, great, so your calling me fat?"   
  
Bumblebee facepalmed at the Phantom's poor attempt at lightening the mood even if their current situation was dire. He briefly wondered just how  _many_ explosives the cons had set up,  _Gee, paranoid much that we wouldn't get blown up the first time?_ before continuing again  **"let me finish; you were able to take on cons _ten times_ your size, you saved Optimus's tailpipe from being skewered by Megatron.  _That_ isn't failure,  _that's_ an accomplishment. You want to know what failure is? it's when you don't even try, it's when you don't even try to do the right thing, to learn from your mistakes so you can be a better person because it's too much work. You fight for the person you want to be, for a better tomorrow... Future... For a better you." **He finished with a buzzing sigh.   
  
The duo stared at each other for what seemed like decades but was only ten seconds. Finally Danny smiled, it was small but it was there, appreciation practically radiated from his face "your a bit of a fortune cookie aren't you?, your right though, I made a promise and I'm not going to brake it now." Danny said, but it was his own way of saying thanks instead of the usual mushiness. He didn't understand  _everything_  the scout said but he caught the gist of it. Danny felt something grow inside of him: some would call it hope, while others called it 'the need to fart'. Danny chose hope because he really needed some of that right now and not a funk cloud floating around the crackling dome that would heat up and gradually become worse.  
  
Danny closed his eyes to think. There had to be something he could do to get them out of this, he'd done it before with his close calls with ghosts and avoiding capture he could do it again now. Ecto-Energy was out of the question, intangibility seemed nonexistent at the moment and there was no way he would be able to summon enough energy to use his Ghostly wail; not that it probably would've worked anyways.  _Think Fenton, think! what puts out fire? a fire extinguisher, but even that wouldn't be enough. If only I had liquid nitrogen on me so I could release it like a giant ice cloud...Ey!!_    
  
Danny would've slapped his forehead at his forgetfulness, but that would cause their only form of protection to break. " _Hello Meghan!_ I'm such a spazz, I have ice powers! I just need to focus; I can do this." Flashing Bumblebee a tired, yet confident smile just as his eye color abruptly changed from neon green to an icy blue hue, the temperature noticeably dropped a few degrees as Danny focused on the chilly feeling that resided within his being. He bit his lip, his fingers mentally grasping for it. He could see it, icy wisps of blue barely seen in his mind's eye just like his Ghost Sense, the power his core held was diminishing fast as it tried to retreat into itself to save it's reserves. Danny was having none of it as he glared in annoyance when the tips of his fingers hardly grazed the depleting energy source.   
 _No! it's all I have left! I'm gonna get us out of here stupid ghost powers!_    
Ignoring the wave of fatigue that washed over him he thrust his hand forward once more, determined not to miss this time as he grabbed a firm hold over it as the coldness seeped through him like a sponge, a gasp tore through his lips at the sudden rush of cold air that spread through his hands producing blue sparks.  
  
"Here comes the cold snap!" Danny quipped, time seemed to slow down; the shield shattered leaving green fragments raining down upon them, the fire seem to fly towards them like a savaged beast just as the air became increasingly hot, Bumblebee's optics flashed in fear but he stood bravely behind the ghost; hands prepared to snatch him and shield him instead if the plan didn't work. Just as it seemed the flames were gonna reach them Danny's hands shot forward as a giant blast of cryokinesis shot out and collided with the onslaught of flames just as time sped up again. Hot met cold as the sizzling sound of steam sounded, like when hot metal was dipped into a bucket of cold water creating a rush of cooling smoke that washed over them in a quick burst.   
  
When the smoke cleared to be a thin fog it revealed a thick wall of ice that had blocked the explosions path, cold air came off in wisps sending a constant chill up your spine along with chattering teeth it was like being in a freezer, not that Danny was complaining though, he welcomed the change after all it was better then being barbecued alive. Danny first pumped the air weakly "did it...Yay, huzzah or whatever the heck you say." Before his panting filled the cavern echoing strangely off the walls.   
  
Little black dots danced if front of his vision before blinking them away again like earlier, his hovering kept shortening out causing him to stumble midair before he regained it briefly. Danny instantly froze up. Getting the feeling he was being watched, Danny slowly turned to face the glowing blue optics lighting the dark gloom slightly that were filled with concern. For him.   
  
Danny looked away feeling a bit guilty that he inadvertently caused someone to worry about him. Sure his family and friends worried about him (for different reasons of course) but that was different, Bumblebee was a bit of a stranger to him who he pretty much knew next to nothing about as well as the other way around. Causing someone he barely knew to feel worried about him just felt...Wrong.  
  
Mustering up a cheerful smile was the first step of summing his facade as he straighten his posture before chuckling sheepishly "kinda forgot I had ice powers for a second there." But stopped when he realized Bee's expression still hadn't changed "what? is there something on my face?"  
  
Bee remained silent for a few seconds before beeping out  **"are you okay?"**  
  
Danny ducked his head a bit, he was suspecting this but if he remained quiet for too long that might cause the Autobot to worry even more. "Um y-yeah" he stumbled, the confidence in his voice wavering "yeah I'm okay. How 'bout you?" aside from the ashy scorch marks adorning his armor and the fact that he was still favoring his doorwings which remained lowered, Bee didn't seem to sustain anymore injures then of what he did during the cave in.  
  
Bumblebee nodded giving a faint thumbs up  **"I'm fine"** he paused when he heard Danny sigh with relief as he gave his own nod  **"but what do mean by 'forgot'? how could you forget being able to do something like that?"  
  
** "What? it's not  _my_ fault that I'm so forgetful, bad habits die hard. Wait, I didn't tell you I had cryokinesis back at base did I?" when he received a **"no"** Danny pinched the bridge of his nose "see? point proven. Oh don't give me that look! besides, I was giving you guys the run of the mill list of ghost powers, you guys never asked about my personal ones- and before you ask, I'm not displaying my special cards in my deck just yet until I know everyone on the team is trustworthy." Danny was kinda proud of himself for coming up with that loophole.   
  
 **"What are you-"**  before Bumblebee could finish Danny stopped him.  
  
"No offense but think about it; some of the stuff that has happened so far seem-I don't know, shady?"   
  
Bumblebee looked down dejectedly causing Danny's guilt to skyrocket again. "Hey! don't feel too bad, besides it seems the feeling's a bit mutual on your end as well." Danny said hinting towards Arcee with her display of distrust earlier.  
  
Bee beeped something that sounded like  **"Arcee."**    
  
Danny nodded "bingo bud. Just gotta earn my trust as well as yours, shouldn't be too hard right?" floating a bit closer Danny patted his arm in comfort but was overcome with a yawn "okay... First step." When he received a raised eyebrow in reply Danny spread his jello feeling arms out wide like an eagle as he floating directly in front of him.  
  
"Catch me?"   
  
Danny fell forward, body lax before landing into two supporting hands just as he suspected the bot would. Making himself a bit more comfortable in the scout's hold plopping himself onto his back before yawning tiredly "see Bee? your gonna get there in no time. I'm just gonna rest my eyes a bit down here m'kay?"   
  
 **"Sure."** Bumblebee beeped in agreement, cupping his hands a bit more to make the ghost comfortable  **"let's get back to the others."  
  
** Danny gave a thumbs up, feeling too tired to answer. Bumblebee walked steadily, taking tedious steps since his sense of balance was still a bit off and not to jostle Danny any further. After walking in quiet silence for a good portion of time, Bumblebee couldn't really stand it anymore so he decided to start up a conversation  **"sooo... I've been wondering something."  
  
** When Danny made a "hmm?" sound he continued  **"how can you understand me? I've been wondering this since when we first met, I mean Raf's the only human so far that's been able to understand me, while everyone else, well doesn't. Is it because your a ghost?"**    
  
Danny hummed thoughtfully contemplating the question, pondering on how to word it. "Well, I don't really know how to explain it."  
  
 **"Then try the best you can?"**  
  
Danny nodded "well it's something like... Well your voice is- uh..." Danny paused "I guess your voice is sorta like music, you know? each note holding a sound giving it meaning, like techno. If you listen, like  _really_ listen, you can almost hear the words depending on the frequency of the sound. Tu- I mean a friend explained it to me, before I never realized it was there until they mentioned it. And a ghost's hearing is pretty good, like really good better then your average human so I can pick up on them a bit better, but I still have trouble understanding everything." Danny explain, his hands moved animatedly like he was trying to illustrate his thoughts better "like for instance, if you say a short sentence then it's pretty easy for me to understand, but longer ones with long words are harder, I understand most of it but the rest is lost in translation. So I guess you could say I understand you sixty eight percent of the time? I dunno, like I said it's kinda hard for me to explain."    
  
 **"Oh."** Bumblebee whirred a bit sadly, before brightening up  **"well I guess sixty eight percent of the time is better then nothing."**  
  
"Yeah" Danny agreed "but Raf? now he's something special, even without enhanced hearing he can understand like it's nothing. He must be bilingual or born part Cybertronian or something." Danny said with a smile.  
 **  
"He is special"** Bumblebee said in agreement, Phantom could tell that he was smiling by how his optics looked.   
  
After a good minute Danny spoke up again "hey, I never got to thank you, for the ya know, encouragement back there? I really appreciate it."   
  
Bumblebee just shrugged the best he could so not to aggravate his injuries further  **"no problemo"** Bumblebee paused mid step when he saw sunlight ahead.  
  
 **"Hey look, we've reached the exit."**  
  
Danny peaked an eye open "think Smokescreen's gonna be jealous over our 'little bonding' moment?" though tired the joking tone was evident.  
  
Bee shrugged equally amused  **"hmm, probably."**  
  
Danny feign a sigh "oh woe is me, I keep dismissing's his obvious affection for moi, but imagine the rage he'll become if he found out I was seeing another bot." Danny gave an exaggerated gasp "he'll whisk me away to place where the sun never shines! a dusty cage! and the worst kind of torture, the tickling's of feathers!"  
  
Bumblebee made a laughing beep before joining in with a serious tone  **"Tis a fate that I will prevent from happening, distressed Phantom, I shall duel him to they death to defend your honor."**  They laughed at the absurdity of the situation while mentally questioning their own sanity.  
  
"So when did you learn about Shakespeare?"   
  
 **"the children were studying for history assignment and were reading out loud, they kept talking weird like that until we asked."  
**  
"Ah."  
  
  
 _ **~~~~~~TFP~~~~~~**  
_  
  
Smokescreen was watching over their leader like asked, studying for any changes in his condition. He had turned him over to his uninjured side to slow the bleeding, he really wanted that bridge to appear right now so he could look for their missing friend and ally. Smokescreen found it hard to focus and sit still resorting to twitching fingers and tapping pedes. He needed to do something, anything. He was pumped and ready for action he just wanted to help do something to put everyone's unease to rest.  _Plus earn back Optimus Prime's trust so he can be proud of me again.  
  
_ So ever since Arcee left to get help, Smokescreen's been asking Bulkhead if there was any sign of them, only problem was: every ten seconds.  
  
"See them yet?"  
  
"No sign of them."  
  
"...How about now?"  
  
"No."  
  
"Anything now?"  
  
A sighed "not yet."  
  
"Now?"  
  
"Nothing." Primus, was Bulkhead's patience running thin.   
  
"How about n-"  
  
"There's nothing there Smokescreen, if I noticed anything I would've sa-" then Bulkhead paused, Smokescreen realized as he ceased his redundant movements. "What the-? the fire stopped."   
  
That sent Smokescreen leaping to his pedes in an instant "what? what do you mean it stopped? it couldn't of just come to a complete halt just like that." Running towards the ledge and peered over towards the scorched cave entrance as his optics widen in surprise. "Whoa..." He whispered, taken back with utter amazement.  
Sizzling steam flooded out of the mouth of the cave, and if you really looked you could make out what looked to be frost patterns edging along the rock structure.   
  
"How is that even possible?" Bulkhead questioned out loud as Smokescreen's face split into a huge grin.   
  
"It's Phantom! it has to be, it's the only explanation I can think of."   
  
Before Smokescreen could take off into the ravine to investigate further Bulkhead stopped him "kid wait."  
  
Smokescreen turned around, a questioning brow raised "what?" he was itching to get down there and look for them.   
  
"What if it isn't? what if it's some type of con trap set up? we need to wait a bit and see what happens before you go down there."  
  
"Aw come on!" Smokescreen whined "they might be seriously injured and need me to come get them, I'll be careful!" but Bulkhead wasn't budging   
  
"If there's trouble I won't be able to back you up." He was hinting towards his inability to move properly due to his damaged leg, he was currently sitting down so not to injure it further.  
  
"But I don't  _need_ back up, I can handle it." Persisted Smokescreen.  
  
"I'm not letting you take that risk, I doubt Optimus would want you to either."   
  
Smokescreen crossed his arms in a huff facing away from the other bot in a bit of pouting, turning his focus back on the cave entrance just as his optics widen, there was movement in the darkness! "Bulkhead!-"  
  
"The answer is still no."  
  
"What? no! there's someone moving around in there and their coming our way." He reported before a mischievous smirk settled on his face, "well see ya later Bulk, this bot is going to investigate and get some answers." Flashing a cheesy solute, Smokescreen was bounding down the rocky incline in a instant, skidding through the dirt patches and sidestepping the jagged stony pathway.   
"Smokescreen get back here!" Bulkhead yelled.  
  
"Uh, what was that? I can't hear you over the sound of my heavy breathing!" He yelled back, mimicking a human's irregular breathing pattern to the best of his ability. "See?"    
  
"Cut the scrap, you know we don't need to breathe!" Bulkhead shouted again but it feel on deaf ears, Smokescreen was already in the bottom of the the clearing to really care.   
  
Avoiding the patches of fire that lingered on the dry clumps of grass and corpses of burnt Vehicons, he made his way by the front entrance just a dusty yellow, covered in scorch marks came into view. "Bumblebee! your alive!" Smokescreen exclaimed enthusiastically, the worry he was feeling instantly disappeared and was replaced with solace as he slapped Bee good naturally on the back causing him to lurch forward a bit.   
  
Bumblebee made a distressful beep, his face contorted into a pained wince making Smokescreen flinch at his unintentional action. Now examining him over properly he noticed the drooped crushed doorwings dripping energon, the dented metal plating on his back meant that it could be cutting into some sensitive wires and circuitry as well as some energon cables. Conclusion: very painful.  
  
Bumblebee glared at him before buzzing a bit angrily  **"ow! watch it Smokey! that hurts."**    
  
Smokescreen smiled apologetically "sorry?" he offered "so um... How you feeling?" when Bumblebee shot him a deadpanned look, Smokescreen sighed "right, stupid question. But I really didn't mean to do that, I'm sorry, I wouldn't have done it if I knew you were hurt."  
  
Bumblebee sighed the annoyance he was feeling away and forgave him, Smokescreen may be a bit brash sometimes, _okay, well most of the time,_  but his spark was in the right place especially when he was trying to bring your spirits up.  **"It's okay. Did everyone make it to safety?"**  Bee asked looking directly at the rookie, concern evident on his face.   
  
Smokescreen quickly nodded in reassurance "yup! maybe with a few dings and dents but otherwise made it out fine, mostly thanks to me and Arcee, but mostly me." He stated proudly at his accomplishment, feeling quite happy with himself before he frowned in realization.  
  
"Hey wait a sec, someone's missing from your party here... Where'd Spooky-butt go?"   
  
Bumblebee's mood brighten as he snickered at the nickname before showing his clasped hands, curious Smokescreen peeked inside and spotted the missing teen sprawled out onto his back with his eyes closed and his legs dangling over the supporting fingers "oh scrap is he- well technically he's already dead so would that make deader roadkill?"   
  
 **"I have no idea how to answer the last one, but he's as much alive as was before currently."**  
  
"Then how come his eyes are closed?"  
  
 **"Phantom got tired; he's resting."**  
  
Then one of Danny's eyes slid open- totally not like one of those doll horror movies; nope- and managed a small glare "dude, shu'dup. 'M resting ma eyes, and stop p'it with the nicknames and your horrible assumptions on how deaf woks." Though the sentence was slurred slightly, it was still intelligible.   
  
Smokescreen feign a gasp of surprise "it lives!" but all he got as a response was a grunt from Danny before draping an arm over his eyes and Bee shaking his head in amusement. Smokescreen's pout returned "well hello to you too sleeping beauty, though not much on the beauty part."   
  
Danny looked like he was going to say something but gave up with a groan. "I'm too tired to even come up with something sarcastic."  
  
Smokescreen frowned at the loss of his banter buddy before shrugging.  _Oh well, when you lose one target of entertainment you move onto the next one. Ooooh Bumblebee!_ still in a humorous mood, he turned his sights on the scout "oh great, now he's broken. You drained him of all his bantering with didn't you? I left him on a full tank of it when I let you borrow him, that's just cold,  _real_ cold."   
  
Bumblebee joined in on the cheery mood when he decided to play along **"that's right, and I'm going to use this new found knowledge to get you back when you lease expect it, you shall get _pun-_ ished, haha, get it?" **He beeped cheerfully until a sharp pain shot up in his back  **"right after I see Ratchet."**  Bee finished barely being able to conceal a wince.   
  
Smokescreen nodded in agreement before reaching over and patting Bee on the head "sure you will, little chubby cheeks."   
  
Smokescreen instantly perked up with a grin when he heard Danny's snickers "pfftt, he called you chubby cheeks."   
  
Bumblebee gave an indignant huff as he rolled his optics **"traitor."  
**  
"Well you pretty much agreed that I was broken."   
  
 **"Touche"  
  
** Smokescreen decided to cut in "Besides, you wouldn't dare pun me into oblivion, I have leverage."  
  
 **"What leverage?"  
  
** "Photographic evidence of what transpired last week."  
  
 **"I don't care on who sees it."  
  
** "Okay um... Oh! what if I show it to the cons, or perhaps Soundwave! that way it can be forever documented!"  
  
 **"What!? but your in that photo as well!"  
  
** "If I go down, we both go down Bee. I'll gladly burn along with you if it means payback."  
  
 **"Your insane."  
**  
"Am I? or maybe it is I who is sane and your not."  
  
 **"I mean your insane to think you'll be able to get that phone away from Miko, she'll turn into a vicious scraplet if something happens to _any_ of those photos on there. She got a picture of Jack picking his nose in there, once he found out and tried to delete it, she- I swear to Primus that girl almost bit his finger off, her exact words were: 'if  _anyone_ ever tries to delete any of my pictures, they'll lose an appendage.' Either way your screwed."   
  
**"Scrap."  
  
"Hold on sec; what photo?" Danny was at a loss of what they were talking about.   
  
 ** _~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
  
_** Though it was a bit difficult, they made it up the ridge without further injury. Bumblebee made certain his secure hold never faltered as to not jostle the young ghost's injuries as well. Sneaking a glance at the quiet teenager he took in his content demeanor, Danny seemed pretty relaxed if the drooping eyelids and drool was anything to go by. Bee saw the scorched flesh on his shoulder, it was still dripping that weird glowing green substance he had to assume was a form of blood, the mere sight of it and weird smell made his tanks churn nauseously. He just hoped Danny hasn't lost enough yet for it to be fatal. Bumblebee scanned the group and was relieved to find everyone there just as Arcee returned. Upon noticing him she sighed and gave a small smile.  
  
"You guys made it out in one piece!" Bulkhead applauded, Bumblebee scoffed   
  
 **"What? do you doubt my ability to survive after all these years of fighting cons? it takes much more then that for me to be pushing up lug nuts."** He replied jokingly, everyone just shook their heads.   
  
"How do you even survive from being blown up?" Arcee mused out loud.  
  
"You need ghost powers, a positive attitude and duct tape." Danny piped up.  
  
 **"But we didn't have duct tape."**  Bumblebee pointed out, it makes you wonder just what goes through that kid's head.   
  
"I know." he replied in a eerie whisper, just how those two words were said sounded like horror movie material leaving you feeling perturbed.   
  
Everyone was staring at the teenager warily before Smokescreen waved them off "don't worry; Bumble-bum here broke him, I'm sure he'll reset to his factory settings in a few hours."  
  
 **"I didn't break him."**  Bumblebee protested.  
  
" _Sure..._ " Smokescreen answered.  
  
"Ugh, enough guys, stop saying I'm broken; I'd already told you I'm tired." Danny cut in before a absurd argument could break out "Also, see Arcee? I told you I was going to get him out of there, and I did- well we mostly got each other out in a way if you want to get technical but I stick to my promises as best as I can." He reminded a bit smugly but it was ruined when he couldn't suppress a yawn. Nonetheless Arcee tilted her head a bit in a considering matter.  
  
"I guess you did. Thanks." Arcee said genuinely.   
  
Danny smiled "anytime. Maybe  _now_ you can trust me, at least a little bit?"   
  
Arcee gave a small smile in return "we'll see."  
  
"I guess we will. But lets look on the bright side of things though, at least now I don't need to work on my tan this summer." Danny pointed out before letting out a small gasp. A flash of light followed by a bright icy ring appeared around his midsection stunning everyone (who was conscious anyway) into silence, staring at it with apprehension. Danny bit his lip and screwed his eyes shut, grunting with strain as he forced the rings away leaving him panting. Just as quick as it came it disappeared with a flash of light.   
  
Everyone was quiet; having no idea on what to say about that abrupt little light show, they didn't know how to approach the unknown matter until Smokescreen spoke up "okay I think I'm saying this from everyone when I say this: what the heck was that?" Everyone nodded in agreement. Danny said nothing, remaining quiet as he tried to reclaim his breath. Finally he spoke.  
  
"It's like a alarm clock, just an early warning if I don't get some rest soon, that's all."  
  
Before anyone could question him further, the ground bridge appeared humming with that familiar electrical current. "Looks like our ride's here." Bulkhead announced. Deciding it was best to just drop the subject and just get everyone medical help, Smokescreen resumed his post as Bulkhead's crutch and Arcee to Optimus's.  
  
When they made it through Ratchet rushed over to them just as the vortex died away, medical kit in hand. Seeing Optimus starting to stir a bit, he and Arcee helped get him towards the med bay and onto a berth. Pulling out a scanner Ratchet ran it over their leader to see just how severe the damage was. Ratchet sighed with relief when he saw that the sharp stone that had penetrated through the red and blue mech's armor plating just scraped a energon cable, enough to have it leak out in considerable amounts which meant that Optimus was not suffering energon loss, most likely from a blow to the head which put him unconscious.   
  
Nonetheless, he still had a patient to attend to. After retrieving the medical tape and healing lubricant, he spread the glowing gel into his punctured side before patching up the wound, he moved over to the medical supply closet and pulled out something that resembled a Nasojejunal Feeding Tube for Cybertronians that fed energon straight into the body if the patient couldn't do so themselves. Ratchet was just finishing attaching the tubes to Optimus's chest when Arcee handed him the recently refined liquidized fuel, sending her a quick grateful nod he took the vial and attached it to the device and turned the machine on.   
  
 _Okay, next one is..._  He thought silently as he scanned the group of injured bots _...Bulkhead.  
  
_ When he saw the mech's sparking foot his optics widen in disbelief "Bulkhead! you dodged the bullet last time at almost becoming handicapped when you were exposed to the Tox-En! It was a miracle that you were able to walk  _and_ transform again, the damage better not be too serious or you might not be so lucky this time." Ratchet scolded crossly before kneeling down by the seated Autobot and examined him to see what he was dealing with.   
  
"Sorry Ratch, " Bulkhead apologized, all that was heard in response was Ratchet's unintelligible mutterings.   
  
Bumblebee shifted nervously in his spot on a unoccupied berth, it was only a matter of time before it was his turn to face the medic's wrath. Smokescreen made his way over to him, making him wonder if he was here to see him or Danny given their previous conversation.   
  
"You know, I was a bit disappointed at first when I couldn't go with you guys." He said mostly to himself, seeming transfixed with Ratchet's work. Bumblebee arched an eyebrow implying for him to continue. After a few silent seconds Smokescreen smirked, turning to face Bee he said "now I'm glad I didn't; if I got injured I'll have to deal with Ratch's anger."   
  
 **"Gee, thanks a lot for the encouragement."** Bumblebee muttered sarcastically. Bee wasn't for sure if Smokey took it seriously or he was being sarcastic also "anytime." He said cheerfully before taking off with a skip to his step.  _That son of a glitch._  
  
"Doesn't look too bad, a few severed wires but nothing a few nights rest won't heal." Ratchet stated as he finished bandaging the last wires.   
  
All the sudden Miko appeared on Bulkhead's shoulder, how she got up there so quickly without anyone noticing was beyond them "does this mean were still up for the 'battle of the bands'?" She asked hopefully, maybe their plans weren't going to be jeopardized after all.   
  
"When is it?"  
  
"err...Tonight?"   
  
"Then no, I already said with a few nights rest."  
  
Miko and Bulkhead groaned disappointingly in sync, plopping down onto her stomach on her perch her mood instantly becoming downcast again like earlier.   
  
Optimus was finally sitting upright just as Arcee finished explaining to him on what happened, he nodded in understanding, when he moved to get off the berth Ratchet immediately shot up, "eh yep, yep, yep! your not cleared to leave the med bay, I still need to check for processor damage."   
  
Optimus Prime nodded, though hesitantly, in understanding just as the monitor beeped with a incoming call from-wait for it,- Agent Fowler.  _No big surprise there seeing as he's the only one who contacts us._ Bumblebee mused dryly before he blinked in realization,  _which is actually kinda sad, it makes it sound like we don't have friends._ Danny groaned and covered his ears at the noise.  
  
 _"*Prime!*" Primus, here we go again._  
  
"What is it Agent Fowler?" came the ever so polite reply from your's truly; Optimus Prime.  
  
 _"*I've got reports from General Bryce stating the cons broke into a research facility that goes by the name of Axion labs in Florida.*"_ Danny's head shot up at that, but since Fowler was in a bad mood (again) it was probably best that he didn't see Danny. Bumblebee took his thumb and gently pushed Danny's head back down.   
  
"Hey! I was watching that!" the ghost teen whispered harshly, but Bee ignored him as he listened in again to what Fowler was saying.  
  
 _"*...sent some field agent's in to investigate and discovered that the cons stole a green chunk of rock that they were studying, something called Ectoranium along with some research files.*"_  Phantom's head instantly shot up again which he continuously pushed back down.  
  
 **"Stay down."**  Bee whispered just as Ratchet came over and began fixing his injuries.  
  
"Move your doorwings." He instructed, Bumblebee complied. Only managing to lift the appendages up a bit before cringing in pain. Ratchet nodded as he swiftly got to work pulling out a blow torch.    
  
"And how do you know it was the cons?" Arcee asked "after all they just tried to blow us up."   
  
 _"*Because there was a giant bot-sized hole on the side of the building along with some graffiti dedicated to you all: Decepticons rule, Auto-butts suck, having fun being blown up? The Autobots are bunch of scraped up scrap and Phantom is just a reject. The last one didn't make much sense but it had con written all over it; literally.*"_  
  
"The activity at the caves were a distraction." Optimus analysed as his expression turned grim.   
  
"To steal from that research facility." Ratchet continued his thought process catching on.   
  
"But for what?" Arcee questioned placing her hand on her chin, pondering.  
  
"Who cares what they took it for, they're cons! what ever they plan to do with it equals bad news." Smokescreen said putting his two cents in on the topic as he tossed his arms into the air.   
  
 _"*What did you expect? the cons to take a break and throw a picnic up in the clouds on that ugly ship? when you figure it out, get into contact with me Prime, General Bryce is going to have my hide if he doesn't get information soon, the next thing we need is another Doom's Day device being built. Fowler out.*"_ The communications window closed out ending the video transmission, returning the screens on the monitors back to normal.   
  
"Great. Now that that's over, does anyone have anyone aloe?" Danny spoke up as he pushed the thumb that was hiding his head away. "Okay anything for burns? anything?"   
  
Ratchet finished wrapping his doorwings having them set properly so they could heal, at Phantom's question he went to examine him as well whiling asking "what's this about burns?" Bumblebee lifted Danny upwards so the doctor could get a better look at him, Danny's eyes widen a fraction when he got a face full of Ratchet.   
  
"Um...Yeah. Got burnt a bit when a Decepticon blasted it. I just want to put something on it like healing cream so it could speed up the healing process soo...Yeah."   
  
Ratchet nodded in understanding "Rafael, can you get the medical kit that Ms. Darby left behind when she last visited?" nodding back, Raf went to go retrieve the requested item. A minute later he came back with the bag and pulled out a bottle filled with the ointment.   
  
Miko came running over "can I help?" she asked. Personally in Bee's opinion he would prefer Jack to do it since his mother was a doctor; but seeing how Jack mysteriously disappeared, Miko  _could_  be the next candidate...  
  
Ratchet shrugged looking towards Danny who gave a nod "sure, I don't see why not."   
  
Bumblebee lowered his hands towards the railing just as Miko made it up the steps, Danny turned his back towards her so she could put it on "Whoa, talk about gore; it's all greenish and blistered!" She announced in awe.   
  
Bee wasn't for sure how he should feel about this.  
  
"Yeah yeah, I'm wounded; can you speed it up?"  
  
Miko bit her lip, trying to figure out how she should put it on. She noticed that some of the spandex from his jumpsuit was melted into the flesh a bit so she tried to peel it back. Keyword: tried. Danny let out a pained cry before it became muffled, making her immediately draw back. "Dude! your suit burned onto you. You need to take it off." Danny grumbled something under his breath. "What was that?" Miko asked.   
  
"I said I'm not gonna be naked."   
  
Miko rolled her eyes "no duh! just take off the top part of your shirt or something so I could this stuff on you."   
  
Danny's cheeks brighten a light red color, before reaching up to the collar of his jumpsuit to reveal a zipper. He pulled it down enough so he could pull his shoulder out. Miko reached over and began to peel back the spandex, ignoring the faint hiss that left the teenager's mouth until it showed the injured flesh. Luckily, it peeled out cleanly leaving none of the fabric behind. "I feel so exposed." She heard him mutter.   
  
Dabbing the green blood up with a cottoned cloth she squirted a decent amount of the ointment into her palm before smearing it onto the charred flesh. When she was finished, she whipped out a band aid and placed it over the wound. "There! finished, no need to be such a baby." she snickered lightly as she handed the bottle back to Raf. Danny huffed before zipping his suit back up.   
  
Trying to rein in whatever shred of dignity he had left, Danny clasped his hands together." Okay, that was fun. But I should really be going, I need to put Boxy back into his proper home and I need to get some sleep." Wow, Bumblebee was surprised that device was still attached to the boy's hip given all the action that they went through today.  
  
"Aww." Smokescreen whined "but I was just starting to enjoy having you around! can't you stay for a few more minutes? or perhaps you could stay the night!" he suggested. But Phantom declined with a shake of his head.   
  
"Nope, sorry. Besides I sleep better at home anyways."   
  
"How are we supposed to contact you?" Smokescreen asked.  
  
"As much as I  _loved_ your way of kidnapping, I have a cellphone; any of you got a contact number I could call?" he asked.   
  
"May I see?" Raf asked uncertainly. When Danny nodded and handed him the device, Raf began typing the keypad, fingers flying across the numbers before he handed it back. Danny's eye's widen before he let out a low whistle. Somehow the kid managed to implant the com. frequency of each bot with their names listed into his phone within a matter of seconds.  
  
"Whoa, call me impressed. Your remind me of one of my friends." Phantom complimented as he scrolled through the list.   
  
Raf adjusted his glasses sheepishly "uh thanks."  
  
"So where should I send you?" Ratchet asked as he walked over to the ground bridge's controls.   
  
"Can you send me right outside of the town of Jasper Nevada?" The whole room froze.   
  
"What business do you have in that town?" Arcee asked, her gaze was calculating, like a hunter staring down it's prey.  
  
"umm... I need to grab something to eat and check the town for any invading ghosts. Why?"    
  
"Err... No reason." Smokescreen quickly lied.  
  
"Hmm..." Danny hummed before shrugging. The ground bridge fired up again signaling for him to take his leave. Taking flight, though he stumbled still whilst airborne, he floated in front of the portal, before turning around to face them "thanks, for having me and all. It was fun! can't wait to visit again so... See ya guys!" He waved. He received waves and nods in response as well as few goodbyes.  
  
Nodding back, Danny went through the portal and after a second or two before it died away when Ratchet pulled the lever back up.   
  
"Darn I'm gonna miss that ghost kid. Oh well, now that he's gone I can think of new ways to prank him back!" Smokescreen said brightly, but after seeing Ratchet glare at him he quickly corrected himself "I mean  _welcome,_ welcome him back; that's totally what I said. Nothing to do with pranks."  
  
Just then Jack strolled into the room from the direction of the human's restroom. "Hey guys your back." Seeming to sense something was off he asked "what did I miss?"  
  
 ** _~~~~~~~DP~~~~~~_  
**  
Danny flew through the portal just as it closed behind him, and with annoyance he noticed that it was  _still_ raining. Danny sighed "better get back home while I still can."   
  
He flew upwards heading for the town, his progress had slowed down greatly due to his weaken state.  _Geez, is every time I hang out with them am I gonna walk away injured?_  he wondered briefly. It was raining hard plastering his bangs in front of his eyes and stinging the scratches adorning his lithe frame, he spat out a few pieces of the stray hair but it didn't really make a difference. After a half minute away from the town, Danny's bad luck came back with a vengeance, his transformation rings appeared. And since he refused to let them revert him back into human form before, there was no stopping them this time. Danny fell to the earth bellow at a breathtaking speed, just as a scream of fear tore through his vocals. He forgot all about the fact that his powers were failing.  
  
He didn't know what was worse; free falling without out a means to stop or waiting for the impending pain that was upon him.  
  
Finally he crashed. Though fortunately and unfortunately he landed into a mud puddle, it soften the impact a bit but now he was covered in it. Danny stood up shakily and swatted some of the mud off with a groan "great, just my luck." Giving up on trying to remove the excess mud he focused on getting into town and began the tiring trek.   
  
The walk was uneventful before he finally made it to his first destination; now onto the second which would be home.   
  
Walking home in the rain was just as depressing as it sounded, the cold water soaked you to the bone, his injuries felt like burning acid when the rain washed into them, the sky was dark and it got harder to see through the shower of water and wet black bangs and-wait. Were those headlights coming towards him? oh he hoped none of the bots decided to follow him.   
  
But to his relief and horror as he squinted through the unexpected light, was his parents. And boy did they look angry.   
  
Oh man, he was so dead.  
  
His mother opened the passenger door and jumped out, storming towards him, pun intended. "Uh... Hi Mom." Danny said nervously, but shrank back a bit under his mom's intense glare. He didn't care how scary Megatron thought he was, under his mom's glare he was bound to crumble at some point.   
  
"Oh don't 'hi Mom' me young man! where were you!? you didn't even ask to leave the house! do you realize what time it is? or how many times I called you?"  
  
 _Ummm... seven o'clock?_  
  
She received no answer when Danny just stared at his feet seeming to find them more interesting. "Get in the RV." Maddie commanded. No need to tell him twice, walking at a fast pace he opened the side door to the RV and hopped in the backseat. His Mom soon followed as she slipped back into the passenger seat, at least now he could be grateful for the mud masking his injuries and the fact he was dusted in ash. Jack turned in reverse and backed up, before turning the other way and heading back home, amazingly enough driving safely for once. It was quiet, no one said anything. Danny could feel his parents outbursts coming soon and the suspense was killing him.   
  
Finally his father spoke "Danny, do you realize how worried you had your mother and I?" Danny looked down at his lap guiltily. "We thought another ghost kidnapped you again and ripped your face off!"  
  
 _Well your not wrong on being kidnapped...  
  
_ "We spent hours looking for you! we tried to call you but you never picked up. Did you lose it?" his mother questioned. Danny mutely shook his head. "Then where is it? show it to me." He fished around in his pocket until he pulled it out and showed it to his mom, not daring to face her. "Oh look at that sweetie... Eighteen missed calls!" Danny flinched at her shout as he took his phone back.  _Stupid cell service.  
  
_ "What do you have to say for yourself?" Jack demanded in that booming voice of his. "Well?" Maddie pestered. Danny chewed the inside of his cheek, there was no way he could tell them what he did today without blowing his or the bot's secret, and he was too tired to even come up with a good excuse.   
  
"Answer your parent's when they talk to you!" Jack shouted, he was getting fed up with his son's silence. When he still didn't answer, that was the last straw. "Daniel James Fenton! you are grounded!" Maddie announced.  
  
Danny had to bite his tongue when he almost shouted out 'that's not fair!'. Instead he continued to sit quietly in the backseat watching water droplets drip from his body. Danny turned on his phone and went through his messages quietly, applying light pressure to the buttons so it wouldn't make that audible 'click'. After scanning through them for a few minutes, he was surprised to see a text message from Tucker, he selected to open it.  
  
 _*Dude, we haven't heard from you in awhile, are you alright man?*  
  
_ He silently typed back a message.  
  
 _*I'm fine, aside from almost being barbecued. hashtags: Explosion, got grounded and smiley face.*_  
  
The drive through the rain was in even more silence. For how long? Danny stopped looking at the clock when he realized it was nine p.m.. So he just listened to rain continue to pour outside, the tires splashing through puddles making that weird sound against the metal of the RV. It was then Danny heard his mother whisper to herself "oh Danny...Just what am I going to do with you?"   
  
If the sharp knife of guilt in his stomach wasn't plunged deep enough yet, those words sure did the trick.  
 _  
I'm sorry.  
  
_ Danny looked away sadly, the feeling of his throat tightening with emotion made him almost choke.   
  
Sometimes having ghost powers was extraordinary, it gave him breathtaking experiences that other's could only dream of having...  
  
While at other times, they were just not worth all the pain and sorrow they bought.  
  
He sighed as he watched the rain patter against the window, it's sound echoing in his ears as he fell into a daze. It was just not his week.   
  
  
 _ **~~~~~~~~~~~~**_


	8. But it could lead to lies

_**  
  
~~~~~~TFP~~~~~~**  
_  
Bumblebee watched as Ratchet went over to Optimus and began to conduct tests, out of the corner of his optic he noticed Smokescreen slip up next to him with Miko. " _Heeeey Beeeee_ " he whispered before sparring Ratchet a quick glance who wasn't looking their way and then grinning back at him.   
  
**"Yeah?"**  Bumblebee asked in a cautionary tone, when Smokey acted like this it meant he was up to something, whether the outcome was good or bad.   
  
"You would not  _believe_  what happened when you guys left earlier!" Smokescreen whispered excitedly, Bee motioned for him to continue "well when we were cleaning Danny suggested we do this dance battle thing, I dunno, it was kinda weird, but then again, who isn't nowadays? but Danny started pestering Ratchet to join us."   
  
Bumblebee's optics widened, okay  _that_ got his attention.  **"He didn't."**  
  
Miko and Smokescreen nodded synchronously both grinning mischievously with half concealed snickers. "Oh yes... He  _did._ "  
  
Pulling up the video recording from Miko's phone, Bumblebee watched the truth unfold as he started grinning.  **"No way..."** The three of them huddled closer over the tiny device trying to mask their snickers while making sure Ratchet wasn't watching them.  
**  
"Knew he loved that dance move I did awhile back, he just didn't want to admit it."**  Bee said smugly.  
  
**_~~~~~~TFP-Decepticons~~~~~~  
_  
** Megatron walked through the halls of his vessel towards the command center. Knockout should be returning soon with the Ectoranium he was assigned to retrieve and Laserbeak with footage of the cave collapse. When he had Dreadwing send a quadrant of troops to the tropical climate to plant explosives in one of their energon mines wasn't just for a mere distraction, no, it was more then that. It was safe to assume that the Autobots already had Phantom among their group and to be certain of that he needed to draw him out,  _lure_ him if you will. Megatron wanted to examine his enemy, learn his movements and whereabouts to find out what else the teenager was capable of; as well as weaknesses so could exploit them.   
  
The doors upon his presence opened with a flourish before making his way into the center of the room. His Chief Communications Officer stood nearby an opened portal awaiting someone's arrival.   
  
"Soundwave." He greeted before receiving a curt nod from the silent mech, that was one of the things he valued about Soundwave, not only was he a deadly opponent but he also knew how to keep his silence, knew how to keep secrets and vital information withheld even under the worst of tortures which made him an invaluable and trusted ally... To the Decepticon cause anyway.   
  
The portal sparked as a couple of vehicons came through, next was Knockout and two more troops, whom seemed awfully amused with themselves for some reason. "Well Knockout? did you secure the item that I tasked you with?" the con in question smirked triumphantly up at him "indeed Lord Megatron, along with some research files the fleshies conducted -though there's not a lot of it-  as an added bonus, your welcome." The CMO declared as he pulled the chunk of green rock out and presented it to him. Megatron examined it for a bit thoughtfully before handing it back over "excellent work Knockout, you didn't fail me this time and your finish seems to be unscratched. I want you to run more tests in your lab and to report your findings, especially if you find anything  _interesting_." Megatron commanded, Knockout gave a gracious bow "as you wish my liege, I'll get straight to working on it asap." Just then the high pitch whine of Laserbeak's approach echoed in the corridor, the doors that Megatron had only just came through opened allowing the metal bird to enter and latch onto his master's chest.   
  
Soundwave stood still as he downloaded the footage from Laserbeak's hard-drives. After a few seconds Soundwave's stiff posture relaxed, anyone that didn't have an observant optic would've failed to notice the barely visible transition since his movements were virtually flawless.   
  
Opening up the compartments in his chest, the tentacles snaked out and went towards the computer to display the footage. At first nothing happened, just viewing two guards in front of the mine until Laserbeak's camera shifted when he detected movement, Optimus Prime and Arcee managed to sneak up on them and dispatch the drones swiftly. Laserbeak remained airborne; not only to avoid detection but to watch the perimeter where he saw the Scout and the Wrecker leave the coverings of the foliage and head inside, followed soon after by the Prime and the Commander after getting rid of the bodies. There was no sign of Phantom so far, nor of the new recruit.   
  
Laserbeak continued to do a sweep on the area as Megatron frowned dissatisfied, perhaps his assumption had been wrong after all.   
  
Acree left the cave and quickly transformed sometime later and disappeared back into the forest. Nothing happened for awhile, Soundwave proceeded to speed up the footage to where the drones were beginning evacuation on the premises, he was starting to lose his patience.   
  
Megatron was just about to call it quits when he descried a black and white blur crash into one of his troops and then to the ground. The camera lens adjusted onto the fallen thing until it got a better view. The former Gladiator's feral smirk returned, Phantom had arrived as expected albeit a little late but still made it nonetheless. Phantom shouted angrily at them which they in turn pointed the barrels of their guns at him, beginning to warm up warningly in response.  
  
In the blink of an eye Phantom pulled another disappearing stunt  _again_. The teenage nuisance began his attack, gaining the warlord's undivided calculating attention with growing interest. Phantom displayed abilities from their previous encounter, like the energy he shot from his hands. His fighting style was a bit sloppy, but where he failed in technique he made up for it in force and speed, it would've been by sheer luck if the boy had managed to survive from those Megatron vanquished all those eons ago in the pits of Kaon.   
  
His optics widen a fraction when the boy brought up a force field to deflect enemy fire.  _An energy barrier? impressive, he can control his powers to where he can manipulate his own energy to create different forms of arsenal to his desire..._  
  
After a bit more fighting, Phantom displayed an impressive feat of strength when he took one of the drones skyward and unknowingly almost hit Laserbeak (who shot out of the way) and barreled it back towards the others and finished the battle when they made a grab at him and got away by shooting a blast of light from his midsection, the remaining vehicons fled afterwards making Phantom the victor, but that didn't mean he had came out unscathed. After that the video feed ended. Megatron straighten his posture as he addressed the occupants in the room just as Dreadwing walked in "now that my suspicions have been confirmed, it's time to move onto the next phase in the plan."  
  
**_~~~~~~DP~~~~~~_**  
  
The GAV pulled into the driveway and shut off, but neither passenger made a move to exit the vehicle.  
  
Danny shivered; despite his cold core the water that had dripped from his soaked hair would suddenly splash onto exposed skin snapping him from his sleepy haze, it didn't help that his dad had turned the air conditioning on during the way back, he didn't know if it was a form of punishment, or his Dad obliviously tried to turn on the heater but screwed up and put the AC on by accident. Either way, Danny was pretty certain this fell under a form of child abuse.  
  
He and his seat were soaked and if his powers were working at the moment he would've used his intangibility on the latter for prevention of mold growing. Danny instantly avoided eye contact when his parents shifted in their seats followed by the doors slamming shut. Danny's eyes darted upwards; they were no longer in their spots, the tension in his shoulders relaxed a bit as he let out a small sneeze escape, better get this over with. Getting out the RV and slamming it's door shut, he was renewed with the feeling of the rain pouring on him; frowning unpleasantly as he followed his awaiting parents up the pathway while avoiding his mom's analyzing gaze. After staring him down for a few minutes Danny heard the keys jingle, then the sound of an audible click of a lock.   
  
The inevitable 'family meeting' was going to take place as soon as they entered the house Danny noted with dread, maybe he could buy himself a few hours- or at least a night, today had just been exhausting. Even in the dark he could make out the stairway. As soon as his mom turned around to lock the door back up once they entered, he made a break for it. His feet practically flew up the steps, eyes locking onto his room door which his momentum would've carried him pass if he didn't latch his hand onto the knob. With a quick turn of the wrist the door opened which Danny immediately entered before reclosing the door.  
  
Danny panted, wiping water off his face as he realized that was such a stupid move, taking off like that would make his parents even more cross with him, blinded by the strong desire to get away Danny didn't rationally think about the pros and cons about the tactic, now he was certain that he just dug himself a deeper grave, line completely in blood blossoms; figuratively speaking of course (did his parent's even know about those?).   
  
"Ugh... how can I be so stupid." Danny muttered but froze instantly when his eyes trailed down to the bottom of the door; the light had turned on and the sounds of footsteps approaching filled his ears.   
  
Danny backed up, eyes never leaving the crevice, the approaching feet steadily got closer. He gulped nervously, with each creak of the floorboards his apprehension grew, it seemed like the pair were deliberately taking their time just to set him on edge. He almost gasped when two shadows engulfed the light in the crevice, one partially blocked out light- his mothers- while the other was particularly wide and completely blocked out any light that would've came in on their side-obviously his father's- and by the looks of it they weren't planning on leaving. He would've found the situation ridiculous if it wasn't for the fact that he didn't want to get yelled at.  
  
Danny didn't dare move; thinking the slightest sound could trigger his parents into bursting through his door and began scolding him.   
  
_This was kind of Smokescreen's fault._ Danny mused, if he and Miko hadn't abducted him, he wouldn't had been placed in this mess to begin with. But if he hadn't been, Bumblebee might not have escaped the explosion, he wouldn't want them stricken with grief as they mourned the loss of their friend, so Danny didn't  _entirely_  regret the actions Smokescreen made today. Speaking of which, Danny went over the day's events and frowned; what was the Box Ghost doing this far out? (he assumed the Autobot's base wasn't too far away from Jasper since he heard it raining outside the base when he was there) did he come through one of the Ghost zone's natural portals that randomly popped up? or perhaps the box obsessed annoyance had followed him here?   
  
Danny hoped it was the first theory but knew he couldn't dismiss the later either, if the last was in fact true though he really hoped it wasn't, then Jasper might be expecting some ghostly intruders trying to take over for their new haunting grounds, which meant they knew he was here and they were coming for him because he was considered a threat.   
  
How do you get rid of something in your way? you eliminate it, not like he was just gonna sit around and wait to see them try. Danny needed to get into contact with his friends as soon as possible and run things over by them to get their opinion on the matter. Danny blinked away the glazed over stare he acquired when he detected movement; his parent's were leaving until the creaking floorboards echoing down the hall was no longer heard.   
  
Danny released a long breath of relief, he was in the clear... For tonight anyway. Right now he just wanted a moment's peace so he could unwind. Danny's stomach made itself known as it growled demanding for attention but he had to ignore it for now, he didn't want to chance a run in with his dad when he got his nightly fudge.   
  
Lightning flashed through his window automatically causing him to stiffen only for a few seconds later for him to relax when no pain came he scolded himself. "Stupid portal" Danny muttered to himself, during the time the lightning coruscated he caught sight of a reflective object on the side table in front of his tipped over backpack. Upon closer inspection he discovered it was a bitten granola bar, wasting no time, he tore off the rest of the wrapping and shoved it's contents into his mouth; Danny wasn't sure if he was considered lucky because there was something in his bag to eat or unlucky for it was stale. Danny shrugged as he swallowed it anyway, food was food including those that fell into the really stale category especially when you were in trouble with your parents.   
  
Afterwards he decided his next course of action would be to take a shower, his entire body was caked in hardened mud; he didn't want to video-chat with his friends looking like something that came out of Lake Eerie. Danny sniffed his armpit and frowned in disgust; smelled like it too.  
  
  
_**~~~~~~TFP~~~~~~  
  
**_ Bumblebee had already given his report on what transpired earlier when the explosion happened-which Miko had titled "seeing the underworld" which seemed sorta appropriate given the circumstances before she left for home- and the other's were surprised to hear about Danny's ability to create ice. Nonetheless, they were grateful that their scout was safe as was himself.   
  
Bumblebee flicked his doors to test their mobility, they were only able to move four inches before going stiff with restraint from the bandages. Deeming their medic did a good job, he made his leave only to be halted.   
  
"Wait a minute Bumblebee." Ratchet called out causing the fleeing bot to freeze mid step, Ratchet had finished checking Optimus over, declaring there was no processor damage evident he came over with a scalpel and a glassed lens, at Bee's raised brow the doctor motioned for him to raise his servos. Doing as asked although questionably he displayed his palms upwards. Ratchet held his hand and examined it, it was then Bumblebee realized his hands were still covered in Phantom's- err  _Danny's_ blood.   
  
Using the scalpel he scraped some of the slightly glowing goo off and placed it onto the specialized glass. Ratchet stared at it with a pondering expression before coming out of his slight daze, "go take a decontamination bath and make sure to leave no trace of this behind. I need to find out if Phantom's blood is toxic to Cybertronians or..." Ratchet trailed off, gaze wandering over to the lone figure gathering up their things into their backpack, after zipping it up Raf reached over and saved his coding that he inputted into the monitor, upon seeing his guardian he waved which Bee returned, sadly he wasn't cleared from medical to take him home. "...Or humans."   
  
Bumblebee nodded in understanding, taking his leave and headed down the hallway and since his sense of balance was still off he had to take precautions steps making sure each one he took was precisely balanced.   
  
Bumblebee looked down at his hands, the blood was beginning to dry losing it's glow as it's colors became duller. He was reminded of Ratchet's words; was Danny's blood toxic? but if that was the case shouldn't he be experiencing the side effects? Bee didn't feel any different besides feeling tired, he just needed to recharge to fix that inconvenience. But it was best to play it safe and follow Ratchet's orders, it could be a delayed reaction.   
   
**_~~~  
_**  
Bringing the sample of the abnormal looking blood to his work station, Ratchet placed it in a preserve tank after putting some aside to study in a bit. Reaching for the microscope he placed the sample under the lens before squinting into the viewing one. Ratchet hummed thoughtfully, adjusting it as he did so. He grabbed the scanner that resided nearby and ran it over; a spike in the EMP range pulsed faintly, most likely would be stronger if the subject was present he noted.   
  
He had learn quite a bit about human biology under Ms. Darby's teachings, it was a bit similar to their own but still vastly different. Humans had trillions of cells all that consist of more then a single type of cell; an  _Multicellular organism_ she called it. Now examining Phantom's  _supposed_ ectoplasm he saw similarities. There were traces of red blood cells meaning he could actually breathe if he wanted to as well as there being extensive amounts of platelets and white blood cells, surrounding it in blood borne oxygen. Too much of it could of possibly caused a dis-balance in his bodily functions but Phantom seemed to have struck a perfect balance increasing his healing abilities.   
  
He adjusted the lens again to zoom in on the blood where he spotted noticeable excesses of copper, trans-metals and plasma fluid.   
  
Now onto the glowing cells; they looked like kinetic energized protons, close to self-sustaining, but a heart wouldn't pump this throughout the body; which meant something else was which was probably where the origin of his energy blasts came from.  
  
Ratchet frowned, Phantom's blood was relatively close to that of Dark Energon, just without the toxic properties, it seemed like it could have more of an ailing effect if someone tried to inject it into themselves instead of it being deadly which meant there wasn't anything to really worry about. Ratchet shook his head at the unlikely coincidence, he'll need to run more test, possibly snag another blood sample from another ghost would help his results.   
  
He watched transfixed as the substance lost its odd glow and fade into a murky green as the goop began to harden "fascinating." He murmured in astonishment.  
  
"What is old friend?"   
  
Ratchet straighten up with a jerk, so deep in his musings he hadn't heard his leader walk in, he glanced up at the clock on the monitor, it was eleven fifty-eight earth time, quite late. "Optimus, I didn't hear you come in." Ratchet greeted. Optimus nodded understandingly, "what has you so engrossed into your work?" he asked kindly.  
  
"I was studying a sample of Phantom's blood, running tests to see if it was toxic just to be on the safe side; one shouldn't be too careful." Ratchet answered flippantly shutting down the scanner he used and going back to his project. "As much as I appreciate the concern of the well being of our comrades, are you sure it's wise to experiment with his blood without seeking his consent first?" Optimus questioned, the medic made a sound in between a scoff and a snort "Phantom was practically leaking it all over the place! nor did he made any indication that he cared on what happened with it. Besides, Phantom has been keeping secrets, I'm not entirely sure what but something about him seems off. His blood may hold the key to those answers if he wont give them Optimus, think about it. The concept of ghosts, spectral entities, an  _afterlife_  just sounds absurd. Phantom might be lying on what and who he is." Ratchet theorized.  
  
Optimus Prime sighed and gave him  _that_ look he made when someone was making a poor decision and wasn't planning on correcting it. "Everyone is entitled to their privacy Ratchet, if they trust you enough they may tell you what it is when they're ready and not pushed into answering, and they wouldn't want to be treated any differently or thought of any less once they do." Optimus advised in that steady calm voice he always used when he tried to reproach someone.   
  
Ratchet didn't say anything; refusing to look up at his leader, Optimus continued forlornly "do what you think is best old friend but please consider my advice. You should get some rest." Was all he said before taking his leave.   
  
Ratchet stood alone quietly, the sound of the machines around him filled the silent void. Disposing the now useless sample he glanced down at the vial in the preserve tank, grabbing and bringing it closer to optic level as he pondered it's fate. What if Phantom had declined? wouldn't that make him more suspicious? how could they trust him when he kept things from them that could possibly bring them harm in the end? But Optimus did have a point; he should have had asked first, it was the least he could have done after being brought here against his will and saving one of their own.  
  
Finally he came to a decision as he released a sigh.  
  
_I'm sorry Optimus.  
  
_ Ratchet walked over towards the medical cabinet, shuffling a few of the supplies out of the way as he stored the vial in the very back from viewing eyes.  
  
_I need to keep our team safe in anyway I can.  
  
_  
  
_**~~~~~~DP~~~~~~**  
_  
  
Danny shifted the blanket above his head trying to mask the light that emitted from his laptop, being mindful of his bruised rib cage. _"*How the heck did you get grounded dude? and what the heck? hashtags: explosion, got grounded, smiley face?!*"_  
  
_"*I swear Tucker if you say 'heck' one more time...*"_  Sam said leaving the threat hanging in the air.  
  
Danny was doing a video chat with Sam and Tucker to check up on things, only to get bombed with questions instead. "Shh! keep it down guys! I'm not even supposed to be up right now!" Danny whispered harshly. After they quieted down with a quick "sorry" Danny sighed sweeping his damp bangs from his face "I forgot to tell them I left Tuck and stayed out longer then I expected to."  
  
_"*Why? what kept you held up?*"_  Sam asked "well I-" Danny paused mid sentence, he wasn't supposed to tell anyone about the Autobots existence.  
  
Danny groaned inwardly; how was he suppose to keep something this  _cool_ from his two best friends? especially Tucker, since the tech whiz would probably gush if he found out living technology existed.  _Cause hello!_  how cool was it he got to hangout with alien robots from the planet Cybertron that was  _light years_  away from their solar system and that could transform into some sweet rides? he still hadn't had the proper freak out yet which would probably happen if he told friends then he and Tucker would promptly fanboy and pass out from too much excitement. Tucker would probably call it their fantasy love child or something.  
  
_"*Danny and..?*"_  Sam pestered bringing him back on topic. Right, as much as he wanted to, he made a promise to them that he would keep them a secret. "Well um... My ghost sense went off so I followed it, it turned out to be the Box Ghost and I would've captured him right then and there if someone- I mean if I hadn't lost it on the way there..?" Danny offered.  _Okay,_  technically _that wasn't a lie_  he reasoned trying to lessen the wave of guilt that washed over him.   
  
Sam looked unconvinced seeming to detect there was a lie in his answer while Tucker looked indifferent.   
  
Danny quickly tried to redirect their focus before Sam started to unweave the web he created. "Speaking of which, has there been any ghost attacks lately?"   
  
_"*only the weak ones, but Vlad's vulture's showed up loitering around the Nasty Burger until we caught them.*"_ Tucker chimed in helpfully but immediately frowned at his blue eyed friend's expression. " _You weren't asking just to ask...Were you?*"_ Sam sighed stretching in her chair until a few satisfying pops were heard from her back  _"*alright, what's bugging you?*"_  
  
Danny chuckled quietly "that obvious huh? it's the Box Ghost; him appearing near Jasper could be just a coincidence right?"   
  
Sam pursed her lips while Tucker rubber his chin contemplating. Finally Sam asked  _"*what was his reaction when he saw you?*"_  
  
Danny shrugged but the gesture was mostly lost due to the blanket folded over his shoulder's "I dunno, I guess kinda surprised? before he started his usual monologue and assaulting me with boxes he pilfered from-uh never mind."  _"*See? there's your answer man, you need to stop worrying about the little things.*"_ "Yeah but-"  _"*dude! your on vacation! which, and I quote:_ a time for leisure and recreation _. Which means relax! you've been spending restless nights of ghost activity for the past few months, we got things handled over here Danny.*"_ Tucker assured while Sam's eyes widen a fraction  _"*I can't believe I'm saying this but I gonna have to agree with Tucker on this one.*"_  
  
_"*That's T.F.'s-Too Fine's-words of wisdom for you Sam, such words could only be spoken by a true meat-eater.*"_ Sam rolled her eyes at the comment, probably would've kicked Tucker for that but was prevented by not being in the same house; which Tucker knew and took full advantage of.   
  
Danny sighed bringing them back on topic "I guess your right, thanks again guys for doing this for me."   
  
_"*Are you keeping something from us Danny?*"_  Sam asked. He shook his head "no I'm-" Danny froze when a bright flash of light shown on the outside of the blanket enclosure, followed by the deafening boom of thunder as it roared through the skies.   
  
Sam and Tucker didn't say anything, they never had too for they understood. It wasn't the thunder that he was afraid of (though admittedly sometimes it was loud enough for the trio to find it surprisingly frightening), it was the  _lightning_. His fear started after the accident with the portal, his hand slipped onto the activation button causing a bright flash of blinding white light to fill his vision before the agonizing pain tore into his body, his fear was really bad for the first month but gradually died down as time went on and became less of a fear and more of being cautious. He barely reacted nowadays unless he was really tired or stressed out over something like now for example. Danny tensed up expecting for the pain to strike as he breathing hitched slightly, after a few seconds when nothing happened he calmed down as they all took a moment of silence, it pained them to see him like this; even without Jazz's knowing about her younger brother's problem they knew she would point out he reacted like an abused child; such would tense up expecting to be struck when someone's hand went up in their personal space, possibly suggesting he had some type of traumatic disorder.   
  
It would take a lot of work with trying to get Danny see a psychiatrist- or at least seek out his sister's help, Danny just needed to go on his own terms.   
  
"I'm not keeping anything from you guys" Danny finished "I just really need to get some sleep, I had a rough day and tomorrow my parents are going to chew me out on how irresponsible I was." Sam scoffed  _"*like their ones to talk*"_ Tucker nodded agreeing  _"*yeah. Alright get some sleep man.*"_ Danny nodded as he yawned "right. Night guys."   
  
_"*Night Danny*"_  they chorused before their screens turned black signing off. After shutting down his computer and sliding it beneath his bed, he began to make himself comfortable and pulled the blanket over right after exhaustion slip his eyes shut.  
  
  
**_~~~_  
**  
  
Danny didn't know how long he was asleep for until his ghost sense went off. Danny groaned wanting nothing more then to ignore it and get back to sleep but knew if he did, someone might get hurt. Grumbling, he pulled himself out of bed with a halfhearted "going ghost" and transformed into his ghostly persona, at least he gotten enough rest to activate his other half. Grabbing his thermos off the floor by his dirty clothes, he turned intangible and flew through the wall ending up outside where it was still unfortunately raining, instantly becoming soaked.  
  
Furiously blinking the water from his eyes, Danny squinted through the sheen trying to see where he was going proved to be difficult. He hadn't a clue where he was going, just following his trusty ghost sense until he recognized a couple of building in town. Danny kept flying until he came across a intersection and began to hover, performing a complete 360 looking to pinpoint where the ghost was. After a moment a plume of icy mist escaped his parted lips.  
  
"Bingo." Danny declared and quickly left. The streets were quiet he noted; no signs of life except for the occasional vehicle passing by while minding the wet roads. Danny swept his soaked bangs back from his eyes when they got in the way again and just in time too for he nearly collided with a traffic light as it blared a warning red and abruptly shooting upwards to avoid it.   
  
The coldness in his chest increased, the ghost was in this building. He glanced upwards 'Electronic Repair Shop' the sign read, just by that alone he had a pretty good guess on who was causing a disturbance to his sleep. Phasing inside the building as well as removing the water from himself, Danny began his investigation. It didn't take long before he heard something.  
  
Turning around he saw something scurry past, Danny's eyes glowed brightly in the dark store, illuminating areas the green orbs scanned over.  
  
_**Clickaty clickaty tack!**  
_  
Danny whirled around glaring at the spot the sound originated from, it sounded like something made of metal scurrying across the tiled floor. Ignoring the pouring rain outside he tried to listen for sounds coming from inside the store.   
  
_**Clack clack clank!**_  
  
Danny whipped around and fired an ectoblast, a thunk was heard after. Flying over he picked up a sparking DS lite that had somehow sprouted legs and was twitching like roadkill,  _ew._ He shot up when he heard more metal clicking, abandoning the damaged device he followed the sounds until it lead him towards a crowd of various electronics marching towards another room with the door cracked open.  _That must be where the mastermind behind this is._ Danny thought preparing to enter. "Knew it was you mullet-head." Danny called out once he was inside, the ghost jumped in surprise making all the electronics that had clung to his form clatter to the floor. "And must I keep reminding you that mullets aren't even a style anymore?"  
  
"You!" Technus sputtered when he spun around to face him. Danny made a careless shrug "the one and only."  
  
"For your information they are too a still a style! i'm as hip and cool as the internet slang goes. Anyway, your not going to capture me this time Ghost-child! for I have a plan to rule the world with technology! how do you rule a world where no one wishes to be ruled you asked?"  
  
"Uh dude I never-"  
  
"Simple actually! with mind control!" Technus continued to spout his plan idiotically "with these neural transmitter chips that I created using these spare electrical devices, I will place them on the side of an individual's head which would then lock onto my ecto signature and connect to my energy and ghostly influence!"  
  
"Okay, I wanna stop you right there; I already went through the Box Ghost's monologue within the past twenty-four hours so my patience is running thin. Second, you do realize that you just revealed your evil plot to me again?" Danny pointed out. Technus made a flustered sputter, before finally finding his words "darn it! why do I always do that? well it doesn't matter now Phantom, I've already gotten what need to carry out my plan and there's nothing you can do to stop me!" with a maniacal laugh Technus phased through the ceiling and disappeared from sight.  
  
Giving a frustrated growl Danny proceeded to chase after the talkative specter. "And here I was hoping this would be a quick and easy capture."  
  
Back outside in the dreadful shower of rain, Danny scanned the area. There! in the power lines was a big spark of electricity heading towards the center of town. Diving towards it, Danny used his intangibility to phase Technus out, "your not getting away that easy" as the ghost immediately took flight, Phantom following in hot pursuit.   
  
What he didn't notice however was that Technus had started calling forth all the available technological devices within his flight path until it was too late. Technus form had increased in size and was now a towering giant that stood in the middle of the park with a sinister grin on his horribly lopsided face.   
  
"Say hello to Technus 2.5!" Technus announced launching a flying first towards the ghost boy, whom dodged "now improved with  _electrifying_ results!" and then sent a mass of sparking cords towards Danny.  
  
Phantom dodged again, feigning a groan "aw come on!  _I'm_ the one who's supposed to come up with the bad puns!" lighting up an energy blast and fired at the technological ghost's midsection only to be dodged, for an ugly mass technology equipment, he sure was nimble. "Can't you just surrender already and hop in the thermos? come on I'll even throw in a free cookie if you'll be a good little ghost."   
  
Technus built himself up to where Danny hovered midair "nice try child! but Technus doesn't admit defeat so easily! besides, I have a world that needs ruling!" He sent a punch that left the ghost boy tumbling downward.  
  
Everything was spinning, he couldn't tell what was up or down at the moment as his limbs flailed through the air letting out a startled shout, after a moment he regained his momentum and flew upwards back into the fight. "Maybe it's time for you to power down!" Danny's fist glowed green and shot a strong blast.   
  
Technus leaned away but didn't see Danny until he punched him in the gut letting out a small grunt. Looking down, he saw that Phantom had knocked off a huge chuck of the exterior of his makeshift armor. No matter, he used spare electrical appliances to patch up the spot, no biggie.  
  
Danny flew above his opponent making sure to keep out reach, he needed to end this fight before it caught the attention of the town's inhabits, he could really use his friend's hacking ability right about now.  
  
Danny huffed annoyed; he just had to make do with what he had.  
  
A bright flash of lightning streaked across the sky and just like the lightning an idea struck him.  
  
From what he remembered in school, lightning would tend to find the fastest object that would conduct into the ground- or at least something along those lines. The point was, the lightning could short-circuit the batteries in all those electronics Technus had on him and currently the ghost was the closeness thing to resembling a radio tower since his exterior was made of metal.  
  
He just needed to bring him up to a closer vantage point so the lightning would most likely strike its target.  
  
"Hey Technuts! how are you supposed to rule the world if you can't even catch me?" Danny taunted.   
  
The horribly disfigured face of Technus' armor glared "how dare you insult me?! there will be no where for you to run Danny Phantom for I, Technus; master of all technology am invincible!" and with that the ghost's body extended following the white haired teen who kept flying out of reach. "would you just hold still!?" he shouted after his attempts at snagging him proved futile.   
  
"Let me think about it," Danny said as he mocked tapped his chin and looked on thoughtfully "I'm gonna say... Uh, no." Technus shot a bunch of cables at him, feigning a sigh he sidestepped out of the cables trajectory path.  
  
Danny glanced upwards, just a little higher.  
  
In the small time that he was distracted, Technus had managed to nab him within his large mechanical hand. "Ha ha, got ya!" he declared. Phantom's eyes narrowed "not yet you don't" with all his strength he pulled them both upwards heading higher up while ignoring Technus' curses and shouts of protest.  
  
In a few seconds Danny realized something, a lightning strike might not be strong enough to be able to take the annoyance out, but if he could supercharge the bolt perhaps then it would work, he just needed something to conduct his energy flow-.  
  
All of the sudden Danny found it really hard to swallow as he realized what his situation meant...  
  
_Aw crud..._  
  
It meant that  _he_  was going to have be the conductor.  
  
Letting out a small curse of his own, Phantom turned his legs into his familiar ghostly tail easily slipping out of his enemy's grasp. He readied a fist with his ice powers as he charged towards the ghost's chest, when a computerized tentacle lunged for him Danny would freeze it upon contact leaving error signs to flash across the screens as the frost crawled into its systems. Nonetheless, the tentacles persistented in their pursuit.  
  
With one hand in front of him aiming directly at his target while with the other to deflect the offensive tentacle arms with ice, Danny kept an eye out for the lightning, didn't want to be struck down too early.  
  
Finally he struck home; causing a startled shout from his foe "ey! what are you doing? get off!" extinguishing the ice charge in his left hand, he charged his ghost-stinger in the other, having it trail off his form as it began to build up in the atmosphere, attracting the harboring storm clouds closer as the lightning dashed across them more frequently. Clouds contained ice crystals that were positively charged and negative ones too, Danny had an ice core; his ectoplasm created both of those charges which would make his core a beacon for the electricity if his hunch was correct.  
  
Danny swallowed the apprehension that grew inside of him when he felt the static build up around him as his body tensed up waiting for the onslaught.  
  
It happened spontaneously, a bolt struck him from  behind when electricity coursed through his body like a generator nearly numbing his senses dull as he let out high-pitched painful scream, the feeling was like its current was tearing his body apart.  
  
Through the blinding familiar pain, Danny activated his now supercharged ghost-stinger and electrocuted Technus gigantic monstrous form creating sparks to dance off his metal body, which was conducting it greatly as Technus let out a scream of his own whether it was from the pain or becoming aghast that his plan was failing.  
  
Finally after a minute, all of the stolen electronic devices crumbled off his body and fell away to the earth below, leaving Technus at his normal size in place as Danny's ghost-stinger ceased when the lightning passed. Everything looked hazy as his vision kept shifting from in and out of focus, every part of his body felt numb as the rain pelted against his soaked body as the wind blew into his face- hey wait a second. Danny blinked his eyelids open, he wasn't  flying anymore, in fact he was  _falling_  and in  _human form_  when he noticed the lack of white gloves replaced by the old fading NASA t-shirt he had. He hadn't realized he changed back which probably meant he blacked out for a minute.  
  
Looking around he spotted Technus falling not too far away from him and looked to be out of it, now might be a good time to capture him if it wasn't for the fact that he was falling from two thousand feet.  
  
"Come on, change back!" scrunching his eyes shut as he tried to focus on the transformation, just when he thought he got it; nothing happened.   
  
Stupid powers never seemed to work when he really needed them to.  
  
the ground was getting nearer, probably at a hundred feet now, which was probably a good time to panic and his falling companion seemed to becoming more alert.  
  
"Come on! come on! change back! change back! change back! chaaannnge baaaaaaacccckkk!!!" right when he thought he was done for a bright ring appeared around his midsection and parted ways, turning him into Phantom once more.   
  
Not wasting another second, he began to slow his descent as best as he could since his energy was running low. When he reached the ground it was nothing less of a rough landing, but hey as the saying goes; 'a landing you can walk away from is a good one.'  
  
Groaning and spiting out the dirt that made its way into his mouth when he crashed, he stood up and looked around. Technus was nowhere in sight and his ghost-sense was barely picking him up.   
  
Grumbling, Danny shakily flew upwards and began trying to track the ghost down, here he was hoping for it to be an easy capture.  
  
Luck never seemed to be on his side.  
  
_**~~~~~~TFP~~~~~~  
**_  
It was the next day, or early morning; most likely seven something when Smokescreen finished up his 'project'. Dusting his servos off with a satisfied grin he headed back towards the main room.   
  
Upon spotting Arcee preparing to head out he went over in greeting "morning Commander!"   
  
Arcee turned around as she offered him a rare hint of a smile "morning Smokescreen, your up early."  
  
"Umm... Yeah! there was just something I was working on." He supplied as he twiddle his fingers. Arcee caught on as she sighed "your gonna prank him, aren't you?"   
  
Smokescreen looked down at his feet sheepishly, not wanting to lie. Arcee continued "fine I wont tell the others, just don't drag me into it. Want to join me on patrol?"  
  
Smokescreen smile brighten "nah, but maybe I'll catch up with you, I'm gonna go hang out with Bee." which Arcee translated to 'I'm gonna go mess with Bee.'  
  
Arcee rolled her eyes good naturally before waving him farewell, transforming and rolling out of base. Smokescreen looked around, no one was really awake right now, the only one who was active was Optimus Prime who was trying to decode another Iacon relic from the database. He thought about saying hello but thought against it, Optimus looked pretty busy and probably didn't want to be disturbed.  
  
Catching sight of something yellow in the medbay he was reminded of what he had planned to do. On one of the medical berths Bumblebee layed asleep; Ratchet must of confined him here until he healed he concluded as he hovered over him.   
  
Out of all the bots, he felt like it was easier to hang out with Bumblebee, perhaps it because they were closer in age even though Bee was a little younger.   
  
Even though the scout was a little serious at times, he also had a fun side to him as well which Smokescreen always tried to keep out by joking around with him trying to get him to laugh. Sometimes it worked, other times it just made him annoyed. He always tried to lighten the mood for all of them as well.  
  
Cause if you don't smile or joke at times during this cold war, you might never again once it's over.  
  
Smokescreen frowned a bit sadly, sometimes he wished he could be like Bee, he wished that he could earn respect from the others instead of always feeling like they were waiting for him to screw up. It was probably because he hadn't been with them for very long, Smokescreen kinda felt out of place when he searched for where he fit in on the team.  
  
He just needed to prove himself, prove he wasn't just some rookie who didn't know what they were doing, prove that he was a valuable member of Team Prime who the con's don't want to mess with, Smokescreen thought determinedly.   
  
Bumblebee shifted before onlining his optics, blinking a bit confusingly when he saw Smokescreen hovering over him.  **"Smokescreen? what are you doing?"**  he asked.  
  
"Watching ya sleep." Smokescreen replied in a sing-songy tone.  
  
Bumblebee's brows furrowed as Smokescreen can only imagine him frowning.  **"Well that's not creepy what so ever."**  Bumblebee replied sarcastically.   
  
Smokescreen shrugged not really caring. "I'm just checking up on you, how you feeling?" he asked.  
  
Bumblebee shrugged after he sat up   **"been better I guess, just going be bored all day since I'm not supposed to do anything strenuous to exasperate my injures any further."**  Bee said a bit annoyed, he seemed to be pouting, Smokescreen smirked amusedly. "Then why don't we play some video games?"   
  
Bumblebee shook his head  **"I'm kinda bored with the one we have, I played it so many times I can win without really trying, besides I don't think you'll want to get beat again"**  
  
Smokescreen nodded "I was willing to try it again if you wanted to play. Um let's see...  Truth or Dare?"   
  
**"Not really."**  
  
Smokescreen scratched his helm "well I'm all out of ideas. Hey do you think Danny's gonna come over today? I have a surprise I want to give him." Smokescreen asked happily. Bumblebee shrugged  **"why don't you call him? your com link should've sync up with his phone so you have his number."**  He suggested. Smokescreen's mood brighten even more "good idea!" he whispered, Smokescreen walked a bit away from Bee as he made his call, after a few rings Danny picked up.  
  
_"*Hello?*"_  Danny answered groggily, Smokescreen flinched guiltily, he sounded really tired "Hey Dan! it's me Smokescreen"  
  
Danny didn't answer for a few seconds  _"*please don't ever call me that...Ever.*"_ His voice had taken on a dark tone when he said that, sending a shiver through him, but when he spoke next all traces of it were gone  _"*so what's up?*"_  
  
"Nothing really, just wondering if you'll be coming over today."  
  
The line grew quiet, just when Smokescreen was going to say something Danny replied. _"*I don't think I'm going be able to, something's turned up. Maybe some other day 'kay?*"_  
  
Smokescreen's mood immediately became downcast as he frowned. "Yeah alright." He said disappointedly, Danny hung up.   
  
Smokescreen turned around with a crestfallen expression.  **"What happened?"** Bumblebee asked.  
  
"He's not coming."    
  
  
_**~~~~~~DP~~~~~~**_

 

  
Danny wiped the sleep from his eyes after he got off the phone with Smokescreen, he was kinda surprised that he'd called so soon and thought that maybe there was another ghost attack happening at the base, but it turned out that wasn't the case.

Speaking of ghosts. Danny glared at nothing in particular; he spent  _hours_ searching for Technus and came up empty, when he gotten back it was already six. Danny grumbled as he slipped out of bed, he was now grumpy and was going to have to deal with his parents today. 

He hated his life most of the time.

 

_**~~~~~~~~~~~~** _


	9. Five nights at Technus

_**~~~~~~TFP~~~~~~**_     
  
Arcee and Bulkhead were just finishing up their round of patrol when Bulkhead suggested the idea of picking up the children, Arcee agreed easily, she'd pick up Jack and Bulkhead would go get Miko and Raf keeping in contact with each other through the com link. Arcee turned down a street that would lead her to Jack's neighborhood, on the outside she seemed like any driver heading towards their destination not being bothered by the summer heat, but on the inside thoughts coursed through her mind in attempts to put together the puzzle that was Phantom. He was obviously lying about something that much she could tell or at least  _withholding_ it, and she was pretty certain it tied in with the Fenton's being in Jasper.   
  
Yesterday Jack had called her revealing why he found the vehicle from last week's searching for information on their ghostly guest so familiar, the Fenton's RV was in the driveway of a rental home he spotted during the week prior, what he didn't know was why they'd come here for all reasons.   
  
Arcee continued to drive silently until her rumination became too much to bare and and decided to reveal some of her troubling thoughts to her teammate. "Bulkhead?"   
  
 _"*Yeah Arcee?*"  
  
_ Arcee paused beginning to have second thoughts. Sighing she continued "What do you think about Phantom Bulk?" a thoughtful quietness settled as the former Wrecker pondered the question.  
  
 _"*I think he's a good kid.*"_  Bulkhead confessed sincerely, the sound of his engine quieting as he pulled to stop could be heard, there was muffled voice followed by the slamming of a door until Miko could be heard more clearly through the the com link. _"*Hey Bulk! while you were recuperating I downloaded this_ sweet _new game onto my laptop and been playing it ever since, when we get to base I'm going to show it to you!*"  
  
"*That's awesome Miko, what's it about?*"  
  
"*About scary robots haunting a pizza joint.*"  
  
"*That's new.*"_  
  
"Ahem, I don't mean to cut in like this" Arcee interrupted reminding Bulkhead of the conversation they were having beforehand "but nothing about him seems off to you?" she pressed causing uncertainty to rise in Bulkhead  _"*no...Should I?*"_  Miko tossed her bag in the backseat becoming curious with the conversation taking place _"*who ya guys talking about?*"_ she asked perching in her seat leaning forward on her fists.  
  
Arcee sighed "never mind, just forget I said anything." Waving off any concern Bulkhead was about to voice and ended the transmission. So she was the only one getting this feeling? maybe she was just imagining everything and was trying to pin something to the teen that wasn't even there, after all he had saved Miko and Bumblebee without a second thought for his own well being. Was she just having trouble accepting him because he was so foreign, an anomaly that just didn't make sense? ghosts in general always been a myth to her and Arcee chose to keep that way, otherwise she was certain that her fallen comrades would've come to haunt her by now; especially the ones she couldn't save. But something was preventing her from fully trusting Phantom, somewhere in her consciousness just knew she needed to keep a wary optic on him, Arcee didn't know why but it was just there like a lingering pain of a battle wound, it may no longer be there anymore but you could still just  _feel_ it.  
  
The driveway that Arcee had drove up to countless times came into view, spotting Jack exiting the front the door, helmet resting under his arm only to halted by his mom briefly as she pecked his forehead and exchanged a few words between them before parting ways, the sixteen year old hurried down the steps to meet up with his guardian at the top of the driveway. Sadie disappeared instantly allowing Jack to place his helmet on. "How did you know I was coming?" Arcee asked, she hadn't called him ahead of time nor June for that matter. Jack gave her a slightly bemused smile "are you kidding Arcee? I could recognize the sound of your engine from a mile away." Jack replied seating himself down and gripping the handlebars securely.   
  
"That makes sense" she mused starting up again and leaving "did you find out why the Fentons are here?" Jack shook his head disbelievingly "are you serious Arcee? how am I supposed to explain how I heard about them without sounding like I was stalking them online?"   
  
"well you don't have to mention that, you could've just gone with the 'welcome to the neighborhood' bit." Arcee pointed out.  
  
"Yeah, but then I would have to get mom involved, seeing as Mr. Fenton was aiming a bazooka at the last person who tried that."  
  
"isn't that illegal?" Arcee asked incredulous, making Jack shrug his shoulders indifferently "probably, wouldn't surprise me if the cops have a warrant out for his arrest given that bright orange jumpsuit he's always wearing."   
  
Arcee mentally shook her head. "Talk to your mom about it then, and if she agrees you need to be discreet about it when you head over there and I need you to try to gather information on Phantom, see if they know anything about him." Jack didn't questioned his assignment, just nodded understandingly. If Arcee was concerned about something Jack found it best to acknowledge it, nothing got to her easily, but the unease he sensed coming from her was unsettling to say the least, it was a matter worth looking into.   
  
"you got it Arcee."  
 _ **  
  
~~~~~~DP~~~~~~**_  
  
  
it wasn't until three days later Danny's grounding was lifted, after he fed his parents a story about how he was exploring town some more, when he met this kid which they quickly became friends, the teen invited him over to his house to play this new video game he bought and they played for hours, but then he realized he lost track of time and quickly bid his new friend goodbye.  
  
His parents were enthusiastic about Danny making a new friend seeing that the only friends he had were Sam and Tucker, quickly they asked for the boy's name. Danny being Danny, hadn't thought about that part. Quickly he spouted the name of one the teens he met at the Autobot base "Jack?" His mom seemed skeptical but his dad was downright ecstatic to even saying "his name is Jack like me Mads! can't wait for you to introduce us so we can meet your little friend Danny-boy!" Danny quickly continued the story before they started asking more questions. Coming back the way he came, Danny thought he saw a ghost coming after him so he ran away from it but managed to get lost in the process, hiding out in a alley to lose it he realized he must of left his cellphone at Jack's house when he went to call his parents. They seemed to brighten upon hearing that, concluding Danny was going to call them to save him for he trusted them to keep him safe. His father outright beamed at the thought instantly becoming proud of his son for following the instructions they've droned into him for all these years.  
  
Danny picked up the story again telling them he found his cellphone once he was certain the threat was gone and abandoned his hiding place; Danny tried to retrace his steps and get back home himself for he was too embarrassed to call for help for getting lost in the first place.   
  
Jack and Maddie seemed quite satisfied with his tale before his mother walked around the other side of the kitchen table and giving her child a warm hug saying she was glad to find him unharmed. Danny had to hide a grimace when she hugged a little _too_  tight upsetting his still bruised rib cage.  
  
Before he could appreciate his parents acting like normal caring parents for once, it was ruined when Maddie said he was still grounded for a few more days for being stupid for not calling them before scurrying off with her husband to gather their ghost hunting supplies and loading them into the RV chattering excitedly about there finally being a ghost sighting in Jasper in which they were going to capture and bring it in for questioning and lots of painful experiments. Danny didn't even get the chance to shudder at that statement before his father threw him over his shoulder, exited the house and tossed him enthusiastically into the GAV's back seat and slammed the door shut, his parents got into the front ones soon after saying it would be a lot safer to bring him along than to leave him alone at the house unprotected since the ghost shield equipment has been mysteriously misplaced.   
  
After the first few days of coming up empty, Danny was left home alone free to do what he pleased as long as it didn't involve breaking his ban within his grounding limits. Bored of the extra homework he missed and needed to bring in by the end of the summer, Danny began to ticker around with some spare parts he found in one of the boxes they had yet to find a place for and began to make what looked to be the beginnings of a pistol of some sort, he wasn't the son of two certified inventors for nothing.   
  
Halfway finished with his project he sent the schematics over to Tucker to make sure he got all the wiring's, circuit boards and such right, once everything was confirmed to be order Danny finished everything up and placed a small ice crystal as the power source. Taking aim he fired; the blast that emitted from the weapon hit his bed post and covered it in ice.  
  
Danny's eyes widen before a giddy grin graced his face. Admittedly it was childish but honestly he didn't really care, shooting at random objects in his room while shouting out "freeze ray!" with each shot he took. The ice crystal eventually ran out after eight shots, reloading it he stored it away under his bed for latter use, with the sweep of his hand all the ghostly ice disappeared; just in time too for his parents pulled up into the driveway which would turn out to be another failed hunt.  
  
Back to the present, now he was free to leave the house again. Danny was flying full speed to the outskirts of town, an empty thermos clipped to his belt along with his newly dubbed 'Freeze-ray' (which knowing his dad would have wanted him to put 'Fenton' in front of) and away from prying eyes so he could call in a bridge while silently hoping his ghost sense would go off for once.   
  
Ever since his grounding, Danny has been keeping his ghost sense open trying to locate Technus; the news reporters still couldn't explain all the abandoned broken technology they've found all of the place after the ghost fight a few hours later. It didn't sit well with him that Technus was here at all, especially after he spouted his evil plan about mind control.  
  
Danny gritted his teeth at the sheer familiarity, when Freakshow came to town all those months ago with that staff, he used it to control Danny forcing him to commit crimes he didn't recall doing. From what he did remember during that memory lapse was the feeling of being trapped; locked away in a dark foggy haze that seemed suffocating, that was until Sam's screams for help did he have a moment of clarity and rushed in to save her from falling to her death. Ever since then Danny was frighten at the possibility of being controlled again, just having no control over his actions while someone pulled the strings to his every move, especially after gaining all these powers- some very powerful ones might he add- could end up bad for everyone. The sooner he found Technus the better.  
  
Changing his thoughts, Danny gazed upwards and squinted a bit when the sun's rays hit his eyes. It was a bright and sunny morning, although, sweltering out even for his ghost form;(silently questioning the sanity of wearing a black jumpsuit on this torrid day) he couldn't wait to get to the Autobot's base to ditch this heat and into some air conditioning. After a little more flying, Danny deemed he was far enough out to send the call and pulled out his cellphone dialing the first name he saw. A few more rings later Ratchet picked up  _"*hello?*"_  
  
Danny grinned deciding to mess with him "Eeee... what's up doc?" he answered do the best Bugs Bunny impression he could muster.  _"*Oh. It's you.*"_ Danny could only imagine the impassive look crossing the medic's face from the other end of the line. "Geez, don't sound too enthusiastic." Danny said mockingly whilst rolling his eyes "I need a portal in my location." He waited a few seconds for Ratchet to trace the call before the doctor answered  _"*sending one your way now; and the correct term would be 'bridge' not 'portal'*"_ he corrected his tone containing mock reprimanding like he was talking down to a child, but Danny choose to ignore the gibe, thinking of a witty comeback "how about you call it what you want and I call it what I want." And then proceeding to hang up, re-pocketing the phone just as a ground bridge appeared and quickly entered.   
  
A brief flash of light later the base came into view "sup fellow losers, I'm back!" he crowed. All he was met with was silence and the sounds coming from the monitors. Ratchet shut down the ground bridge and went back to whatever he was doing beforehand.   
  
Movement of red and blue caught his eye which turned out to be Optimus halting in his work on the monitor and turned to address him "what did you mean by 'fellow losers'?" Optimus asked, his voice didn't sound angry or interrogating in any way but perhaps a tad bit curious? Danny fumbled with his fingers a bit uncomfortably, gosh how did he want to word this? "well I uh...um... didn't really  _mean_ anything by it but it was said in a friendly and affectionate way..?" Danny offered awkwardly, there was no wonder why he was also failing English actually, he was failing every class now that he thought about it; probably should find a tutor.   
  
The uncomfortable silence reigned on as Danny floated uncertainly until the Prime nodded acceptably. Feeling a little more confident now Danny struck up a conversation "how are you and the others feeling?" if Optimus was surprised by the question he didn't show it "I am fine Danny Phantom, as for the others aside from Bumblebee whom is still healing, how are you?" Danny was astounded by how the response was spoken with such formality from the towering robot, eyes holding a reassuring gentleness that was often found in a parental figure. Snapping out of his slight daze Danny gave a lopsided smile "I'm feeling pretty good right now, everything's all healed up." Then he scanned his surroundings "hey, where is everyone?"   
  
Optimus donned a thoughtful expression "Arcee and Bulkhead are on patrol, Bumblebee would be in the medbay" he looked briefly puzzled "I do not know of Smokescreen's current whereabouts, you'll need to ask Bumblebee or perhaps Ratchet if they know." The Autobot leader concluded. Danny nodded gratefully nonetheless "I'll do that thanks!" with a slight wave Danny floated in the other direction.   
  
 _Bumblebee!_  the thought flashed through his mind with a wave of exhilaration washing over him when the yellow Autobot came into view- now he didn't have go on a scavenger hunt-, had his back turned to him in the medbay. Danny cleared the distance between them in seconds and hovered just above the bot's head catching sight of the evident look of a pout on the scout's face. Bending upside down until his face blocked Bumblebee's line of sight Danny grinned "heeey Bee, guess who's back?" Bumblebee's face brighten slightly as he chirped out a  **"hello"** and raised a hand; palm upwards invitingly. Danny readily accepted the offer sitting down and crisscrossing his legs he asked "feeling any better?" Bee nodded, annoyance crossing his features briefly before disappearing  **"yeah but Ratchet won't let me leave."**  Letting out a exasperated huff, Danny's bottom lip jutted out thoughtfully "is that why you were pouting a minute ago?" Bumblebee made an unbelievably shrill beep that sounded like a squawk, embarrassment flooded his face stumbling to find the right words  **"I-I was not pouting!"**  but at Danny's unimpressed look Bee sighed in resignation  **"fine maybe I was a _little_ but that was only because I'm bored because Ratchet won't let me do anything fun and is refusing to let me out of his sight"** as if on cue Ratchet popped his head around the corner and did the 'I'm watching you' gesture and disappeared back around, leaving Bee to continue  **"just because of that one time I took off with Bulkhead and chased after Knockout and ended up going over a cliff he holds it against me."**  
  
Danny blinked, then blinked again "uhhh..." he was not expecting that response, he shook his head "um you know what? I'm not even going to ask. Have you tried the puppy-dog eyes on him?"  
  
 **"...The what?"**  
  
 _Right, alien robot from another planet_ "it's when you make your eyes all big and pleading and try to come off as sad as possible." Danny explained. Bumblebee blinked owlishly "that sounds creepy" he stated blatantly leaving the ghost teen to face palm, breathing stiffly through his nostrils "let me show you." Lowering his head downward, he contorted his facial expression leaving Bee briefly confused and a little curious, once Danny was certain he got the look right he slowly raised his head and the sight the met Bumblebee was a pathetic one. Danny's pupils seemed to have tripled in size and nearly swallowed the neon green iris' as they looked directly Bee's optics looking on the verge of crying as his bottom lip quivered slightly, eyebrows drawn together and a head tilt as the cherry on top. The image Danny was projecting practically screamed pleading, pathetic helpless creature that made you find it hard to  _not_ help it and coddle it closely to your chest.   
  
Danny swore he saw something prick from the corners of Bumblebee's eyes just before the scout said  **"stop! I can't take it anymore."**  Came the cry filled beep, satisfied Danny blinked as his facial features went back to normal while taking on a smug grin "like that. Question: your still a kid right Bee?"   
  
 **"I guess yeah?"** Bee answered with a shrug "good cause I'm fairly certain it only works when your still a kid otherwise you just look plain desperate; like some fruit loop who's still after mom." He muttered the last part but he wasn't certain if Bee heard it, and if he did the scout didn't pry. "Okay let me see you do it." Danny motioned wildly with his hand. Bumblebee's movements stilled taking on a contemplating expression. Finally Bee looked back towards the awaiting ghost boy, optics big with the alluring blue they carried filled with a childish innocence that nearly had Danny do a double take.  **"Like this?"**  Bumblebee inquired as Danny nodded in confirmation. "Nearly, were going to need to amp the look up since your gonna serve it to Ratchet; speaking from my last encounter."   
  
 **"I'll take your word for it since you'd somehow convinced him to a dance off the other day."** The scout pointed out making Danny brighten feeling a sense of smug pride "so you've heard about that huh? getting back on topic, you need to slightly tilt your head to the left." Doing as instructed he tipped his head "okay now lower your doors."   
  
 **"But the bandages are restricting them."**  
  
"Then lower them the best you can."  
  
Bee sighed but did so without further complaint, he managed to move them a little past his shoulders; better then nothing Danny supposed "alright bring in your brows...Perfect. Now ever so slightly, look up." Bumblebee's optics shot upwards looking so sad it took Danny by surprise, he would never admit this out loud but Bumblebee looked absolutely  _adorable_ , you would have to be some cold hearted monster to say no to that face.  _And_ that is why Danny didn't feel a single shred of guilt sending him off to find the medic before his emotional dam broke.  
  
"Make sure to look like your about to cry if he looks like he's about to decline!" Danny called out, Bee flashed him a thumbs up before taking off and disappearing into- wait, he forgot what room that was.  _Darn it! I was suppose to ask where Smokescreen is, he sounded disappointed last time I'd talked to him._ For some reason all the sudden he felt like someone was watching him; performing a slow three-sixty Danny's eyes met Optimus' whom seemed quite perplexed. Thinking back to what he last said he realized that there maybe  _should_ be a reason why the Autobot leader should be concerned since it could lead to the discharge of a fairly healed scout ending up back in the field before he's physically ready. "Don't worry, it's not like anything's going to spontaneously burst into flames." He assured him.  
  
Optimus was still staring at him and it was becoming a little unnerving, it was like a big cat staring you down and just like one they refused to blink. Danny quickly decided to change the subject "are you sure don't know where Smokescreen might be?" Danny asked, briefly glancing about for his somewhat considered friend, surprised he hasn't made an appearance yet. Optimus had a thoughtful look on his face "perhaps he is in his room." He mused calmly with a slight hand gesture towards the hallway. Nodding with a quick thanks Danny went on about his way floating past doors in the hall. Silently thanking Miko for the tour she gave him the last time he was here Danny recognized the weird dent she'd pointed out identifying it as Smokescreen's door; he never did ask how that happened. There was a keypad that resided on the wall next to the door but since he didn't have the code Danny just went intangible and passed through.   
  
The room was a simple shade of brown like the rest of the base, a small shelf adorned the side wall littered with little knick-knacks and some things that resembled a large tablet but was translucent (which he later came to learn were datapads), there wasn't a lot of personification done here giving the room an almost hollow feel, maybe Smokescreen would do more with it. Speaking of which, there on the giant bot sized berth was Smokescreen himself: sleeping.  _He can sleep?_ Danny blinked at the newly acquired information,  _huh you learn something new everyday. This would be the perfect time to draw on his face._ Dannysnickered quietly at the thought fishing his hand into his suit's hidden pocket looking for the marker he stored in there for opportunities like these. But to his dismay, it was missing.  _Darn it, must have dropped it somewhere._ Smokescreen was very lucky he misplaced his marker, otherwise he would be defaced right now. Yes, very  _fortunate_ indeed. Danny floated over his head and began knocking on the metal plating covering his chest resounding a few metallic  _dings_ before pausing to wait for a reaction.   
  
Nothing.  
  
Was he a heavy sleeper or what? landing on his chest Danny began to come up with a new plan which resulted in a small game called 'what'll wake Smokescreen'. It started out with taps to the chest, dripping saliva onto his face to turning his arm intangible and pulling it in and out through his face, all which resulted in failure. Siting down with a frustrated huff and getting bored, Danny's hands glowed blue creating a pile of snow where he sat and began making a snow nest thing waiting for the rookie to wake up.   
  
  
 _ **~~~~~~TFP~~~~~~**_     
  
  
Smokescreen's systems started to online, he spent a long night of patrol with Bulkhead and just about fell over when they got back to base late this morning, his berth was a welcomed sight when he practically threw himself backwards onto it,. For the past few days Smokescreen had been trying to finish tasks assigned to him while keeping an optic out on his contraption, several times someone almost activated it and he had to drop whatever he was during and rush to stop them before they did while coming up with some excuse so they wouldn't tell him to take it down. And during those days Smokescreen has been waiting for Danny to return only to be left disappointed.   
  
Smokescreen mentally sighed,  _time to get up and greet another boring day and-wait._ Smokescreen paused in his movements when he realized there was something cold on the center of his chest.  _Did the ground-bridge malfunction and bring in snow?_  he wondered briefly before opening his optics and blinking away the cold moisture from them and looked towards his chest and was actually surprised to find snow there. Before he could ponder how it got there in the first place he noticed tufts of white hair outlined against the cold sludge.  
  
Realization dawned on him once he realized who it was "Danny!" Smokescreen announced jubilantly making the teen jerk his head up at the mention of his name and turned to face him with his eyes blown wide, noticing there was snow plastered against his right cheek. Smokescreen could help but laugh at Danny's face earning him a glare in return as he wiped the cold mush of his face "oh ha ha, so when you finally decide to wake up you laugh at me?" Smokescreen just continued to laugh making Danny's scowl deepen. After a bit his mirth subsided, becoming more serious he asked "why is there snow on me?"  
  
Danny's glare lasted for a few more seconds before dying away into a careless shrug "I just arrived at base like fifteen minutes ago, it's sweltering out so to cool down I made this pile thing here and lied in it but I think I started to drift off."   
  
Smokescreen shot him an skeptical look seeming not knowing what to say about that explanation, instead he sat upright, startling Danny eliciting him to let out a shot of protest for nearly falling off "time to get off Casper, don't need this snow getting into my more sensitive places; besides, I don't look as good wearing a Phantom pelt." Smokescreen said making Danny's scowl return. Jumping to his pedes he rapidly swept it off his chest plating, out of the corner of his optic he caught the teenager rolling his eyes at him looking disdainful "jeez, get it off a little faster will ya? I swear by the way your acting someone would think that's contaminated or something." Smokescreen gave him the same gaze back "well considering it came out of you..." Trailing off leaving the implication lingering in the air, the teen frowned in disappointment "touche" was the muttered response.   
  
Despite this, Smokescreen fervently launched into another conversation whilst trying to mask his impish behavior when the reminder of his extracurricular project flashed through his processor like an invitation "there's something I've been dying to show you, come on!" Smokescreen proclaimed exuberantly waving a hand towards the door practically bouncing on his pedes eagerly.  _How did he even get in my room anyway?_ the thought was a little disconcerting at Danny's lack of morals towards privacy but quickly dismissed it,  _maybe it's a ghost thing_.  
  
Taking lead he pressed the silver button on the side wall letting the door slide open effortlessly and walking out with Phantom trailing after him face displaying an interest in what he wanted to show him.   
  
"What is it?" Danny asked eagerly floating into his line of sight which was starting to become a bad habit. Swatting him away gently with the back of his hand, he held a tone of assurance when he spoke "you'll see when we get there." Danny raised an eyebrow "does this mean we're leaving the base?" the rookie shook his head "nah, it's just down the hall."  
  
After a bit more walking and flying from Smokescreen and Danny; respectively of course, they reached their destination. They were in the Training room which was currently lacking any other occupants, Smokescreen briefly eyed his contraption dangling from the ceiling but looked away just as quickly before Danny noticed. Speaking of which, the Ghost Boy still hovered just outside the doorway scanning the spacious room over with curious eyes "I don't see anything interesting in there, it's just an empty room."   
  
"Stop being so perspective" Smokescreen groaned "and start being more like me."  
  
"What, a goofball?" Danny supplied coming a bit closer, Smokescreen shot him a dirty look "being  _awesome_ " he corrected "'Cons never know what hit them when I'm around." Danny floated into the room shaking his head amusedly " _riiiiiggght_ , just like the Box Ghost being able to scare someone." His voice was dripping in sarcasm making the Cybertronian frown "what's that suppose to mean?"   
  
" _Nothing_." Danny answered just a little  _too_  sweetly, Smokescreen decided to ignore what ever came out of his mouth until further notice, watching the teen closely as he hovered beneath his trap.  _Wow, it really is true on what they say about a person never looking up, that or Danny was a really oblivious ghost_. Well he wasn't going to look a gift horse in the mouth.   
  
Danny eyed him weirdly when he noticed him staring at him "what? do I have something on my fac-?" before he could finish his sentence the motion sensor Smokescreen had installed went off; detecting a person still in place after a minute had passed hence triggering the bucket of oil to tip it's contents over onto the frozen in place Phantom with a alarmed appearance. There was a giant splash as the weird mix of blackish-gold oil concoction splattered in a three foot radius from where Danny stood, arms lifted above his sides like a chicken attempting a take off and his eyes screwed shut; shocked still into place.   
  
Smokescreen let out a snicker; then a snort which proceeded into full blown laughter " _now_  you have something on your face!" Smokescreen managed to declare in between laughs grabbing his sides when they began to ache.  
  
 _That was pure comedy gold!_  That was worth the wait, Primus he wished he had a camera, or at least Miko with her flip phone, she would've been enjoying it as much as he was right now. Finally his laughter died down when he noticed that Danny hadn't moved an inch, he began to become concerned "Danny?" he asked, the last of his mirth dying from his voice. "Hey Casper, it was just a joke!" he tried but to no avail Danny still wouldn't answer or at the very least twitch. Smokescreen swallowed the lump of apprehension settled in his throat.   
  
"Are... Are you okay?" it seemed like hours before Danny eventually spoke, his voice was shuddering "if th-this oil gets in my eyes...Will...Will I go blind?"   
  
Now it was Smokescreen's turn to freeze up, he knew next to nothing about human biology let alone a ghosts, he kinda figured that humans shouldn't be messing with the stuff since it was most likely gonna harm them (cut him some slack, he hasn't been on earth that long compared to everyone else) and thinking Danny would be fine since he wasn't human. Now that he hadn't considered the possibility before hand he could've harmed the dead teenager.  
  
 _Oh scrap.  
  
_  
 _ **~~~~~~DP~~~~~~  
  
  
**_ Danny froze in place and closed his eyes shut just as a wave of black slimy liquid was dumped on him. Once it stopped, Danny kept his eyes closed and sniffed the air-thankfully none of it got into his nose- recognizing it as motor oil from his times of helping his parents fix the RV and every time Jazz would warn him to be careful and to not get it into his eyes cause he could go blind if he did. Danny would always shrugged off her concern thinking that Jazz was just being paranoid but in this moment he was covered from head to toe in the stuff and he didn't want to risk it.   
  
Going intangible seemed like the best option, but if it was already in his eyes wouldn't that mean it would get into his eyes more right? Ugh! all this questions made him even more worried.   
  
Even though the oil was partially clogging his ears Danny managed to hear what Smokescreen was saying "Hey Casper, it was just a joke!" this is that dumb-butt's idea of a joke?! well maybe Jazz had been wrong otherwise Smokescreen wouldn't have taken such a risk right?  
  
"Are... Are you okay?" he continued sounding quite concerned. Snapping out of state of panic, he forced himself to calm down and string together a question. Exhaling slowing he asked trying to keep the shudder out of his voice and failing miserably "if th-this oil gets in my eyes...Will...Will I go blind?" he listened for Smokescreen's answer but was met with silence, his stomach began to fill with dread. "Why won't you answer me?!" Danny shouted at him. "Because I don't know what to say!" Smokescreen shouted back "look I'm sorry okay? I didn't know that could happen, I just thought-sorry." Smokescreen seemed just as distraught as he was, if his ramblings were anything to go by "can't you just go intangible or something?" Danny huffed annoyingly "yeah but I don't know if it'll make it worse."   
  
The silence seemed deafening when the Autobot didn't say anything, Danny was starting to believe he abandoned him, but finally he said "you do realize how ridiculous you sound right?" just by the serious tone Danny could picture him staring at him like he'd grown a second head, and at the moment he was slightly grateful that he was covered in oil to hide his cheeks burning in irritated embarrassment.   
  
"Know what? screw it." Danny muttered turning intangible he felt his eyes begin to burn followed up by the warmth of ectoplasm burning in them like warm unshed tears when he heard Smokescreen gasp, snapping his eyes open he gazed at the person whom elicited the sound. "Whoa..." Smokescreen whispered in awe "your eyes are  _really_ green and glowing, I can't even see the pupils!" Danny was so relieved when he was able to see Smokescreen but now he wanted to get back at the prankster for almost giving him a heart attack- or would it be considered a core attack since he was in ghost form?- making his way to the top of Danny's revenge list.  
  
Danny glared daggers at him "know why?" he grounded out his eyes narrowing in on him. Smokescreen fidgeted in place as an unsettling feeling swept over him, but being the oblivious obnoxious bot he is Smokescreen put on a challenging smirk and asked "no, why?" Danny hands crackled to life with green energy, trying to come off as furious as possible to hopefully scare him which in retrospect wasn't very effective given the size difference between them as he snarled "it's because you dumped oil on me!" he lunged for Smokescreen evoking the bot to let out a startled yelp and diving out of the way "hey it was an accident!" he defended, dodging the barreling Ghost Boy again "you did it on purpose you liar!" focusing his energy at a low density while giving it some form, he shot blobs of it at his target who was narrowly dodging all of them "oh well you gotta admit it was worth a shot." Smokescreen quickly shrugged with a small head tilt just as a giant wad goop missed him and splattered onto the wall like a snot rocket.   
  
"Well that looks... _Ew_." He scowled in open unashamed disgust and began making a beeline for the exit, Danny saw this and activated his ice powers and shot a blast at the door successfully blocking off his escape. "Your not going anywhere." Danny said determinedly getting ready to fire more goop from his hand.   
  
Smokescreen turned around slowly "don't have to-" Smokescreen raised his wrist and his other arm skywards, until surprise colored his face "- _ooooooo._.." His eyes darted up and down his arm looking for something that obviously wasn't there, Danny arched an eyebrow waiting for whatever it was he was trying to do. " _Scrap_. Plan B then!" Completely facing him now with a fast turn Smokescreen pulled giant water balloons filled with looked to be more oil from Clockwork knows where and charged at him; throwing his newly acquired ammo at Danny with earnest.   
  
 _Fall back, fall back!_  the thought screamed just as Danny high tailed it out of there in the opposite direction of his pursuer, flying near the ceiling with the flight pattern of zig-zagging as the burst bombs exploded onto the ceiling. One balloon hit their mark after Smokescreen chucked one into the direction he figured Danny would head next, detonating when the loud smack of impact hit his back making the teen shout and the Autobot a triumphant "ha!" Regaining his bearings with a frustrated shout, Danny plotted his next move in seconds and then poof! he was no longer in sight.   
  
Smokescreen cursed, he forgot Danny could do that; readying a oil balloon at his side he scanned his surroundings. " _Spooky, Spooky-Poo_ , where are you?" Danny could be lingering anywhere, just the slightest movement wou-there! he jumped out of the way as green goop smacked into the ground near his foot, Smokescreen smirked confidently; too bad he didn't see the next one coming until it hit him in the face. Danny blinked back into sight laughing his butt off "ha! what ' _you didn't see that coming_ '?" he quipped "payback's a-" he never did get to finish that sentence when Smokescreen threw another bomb, he may have been blinded momentarily but he could still hear, he pinpointed Danny's voice and chanced it, turns out he threw it just right when he heard the loud thwack of oil splattering all over him. Smokescreen wiped the goop off his face and with mild disgust acknowledged the fact that it was slimy. Danny got up from the floor and flew back into the air preparing more ecto-goop and diving towards his opponent "ready for round two Speed Reject?" he announced just as Smokescreen slipped until a battle stance, ready to bolt if the time called for it with two balloons trigger ready in each hand. "Bring it on Inky!" He challenged back.  
  
"You've been playing Pac-man?"  
  
"You know it!"     
  
  
 _ **~~~~~~TFP~~~~~~**_     
  
  
Bumblebee hurried off to find Ratchet, bubbling with half contained enthusiasm at the prospect of Danny's suggested tactic, as embarrassing and degrading it might be to his pride, Bumblebee was willing to try almost anything to leave that medbay. Bee grew restless easily, especially when Raf wasn't able to visit due to family reasons, so to release his pent of energy whenever a assignment would present itself Bee would instantly offer to do it but depending on what the task was Ratchet would either instantly decline him from doing so or watch him like a hawk until he showed a single ounce of strain and then send him off to rest. As much as Bumblebee appreciated the concern he grew tired of it just as quickly, he didn't want to sit around being useless when there was something he could do to contribute.  
  
Maybe it will work or maybe it won't, never know till you try. With that fleeting thought Bumblebee walked into their Energon storage room coming across Ratchet taking a new refined batch and cubing it. Giving a small chirp to alert the seasoned medic of his presence, Ratchet swiveled his head briefly before resuming his work "what is it Bumblebee?" Ratchet asked sounding slightly irritated adjusting the pressure dials on the machine. Bumblebee shifted on his pedes  **"do you think I can be cleared from the medbay and get these bandages removed?"**  Bee beeped hopefully making the medic whip around to face him with a disbelieving expression "tell me your joking Bumblebee," when Bee didn't reply Ratchet let out a scoff "your nearly healed and will be  _completely_ in a few more days if you'd stop trying to strain you injuries further then you'd already have!"  
  
 **"can't I just leave a little early?"  
**  
"no."  
  
 **"Come on Ratchet, please?"  
**  
"the answer is still no." Ratchet stated firmly, Bumblebee sighed in slight irritation; he had only wanted to do it as a last resort which would probably probably ruin any dignity (or at least he liked to believe he has) had left,  _well here goes nothing_. Head tilted, doorwings down, optics big just beneath the drawn in close brows, Bumblebee looked up at Ratchet pleadingly. "What are you doing?" then realization dawned on him "you can't be serious- you resorted to  _begging_?" Bumblebee didn't let up; letting out a long beep of  _ **"pleeeeeaaasssse?"**_  Ratchet was finding it hard to look away from the display in front of him, but huffed in annoyance "the answer is still no..." Even his answer didn't sound quite certain.   
  
 _Time for the finale_ , Bee thought to himself with determination. Optics began to gather unshed lubricant just like the Ghost Boy instructed and felt triumphant energy surge through him seeing the medic's resolve falter. After a few more seconds of intense pleading Ratchet finally gave in "...Fine." Bumblebee let out a victorious whoop "thanks Ratchet!" giving a quick hug he was fleeing the storage room and out the door in seconds with a new found sense of freedom. "Don't remove those bandages!" he heard Ratchet call out to him but he hardly took heed, wanting to go find Danny to tell him it worked and to see what the boy was up to Bee checked the main area where he had last left him, not much of a surprise when Phantom was nowhere in sight.  _Probably went to go wake Smokescreen_ , on that note he headed off into the direction of the rookie's room.   
  
Empty. Where were they? after checking every other room nearby and coming out disappointed, he began heading down the second hallway. His searching came to a halt when the sound of Smokescreen's laughter met his audio receptors followed up by a shout. Swiftly Bumblebee tracked the noise; which steadily got louder with each passing step the sounds became clearer, sounds of something continuously splattering, indignant shouts to triumphant "ha!"s and an occasional thump like someone got thrown against the wall.   
  
Bumblebee recognized where his route was leading him.  _The training room!_  the smell of motor oil hung heavily in the air when he came to the entrance; only for it to be blocked off with a wall of ice and he knew exactly who made it. Walking closer he placed a servo against the frozen barrier feeling the chill spread through his finger tips and to his sensors before drawing his hand back, marveling at the sight and being reminded that the very same thing standing before him was the same thing that protected him and Danny from being blown to bits, except now it served as a divider. Peering closer he spotted a black dripping blob flying and a green snot thing chasing after it-wait that was Danny and Smokescreen.  
  
"Ha ha! can't get me  _Slow_ -screen!" Danny taunted launching ectogoop at his pursuer aimlessly seeming to only want to shake him off his tail, but Smokescreen was persistent. "That's the best you got Jack Frost?" he shouted up towards him rolling sideways to dodge again producing another oil bomb at his side. Danny landed crouched against the wall in anticipation "erm no, I can do  _way_ better" the balloon came rushing towards him in the last seconds before impact Danny flipped off into a dive and resumed flight "uh-uh, that better not be my new nickname though, I already know two 'Jacks' already and it's going to get confusing real fast trying to figure out which one your referring to; don't need to add another one to the mix."   
  
Smokescreen tested his grip around the burst bomb eyes tracking Danny's movements "who's the other Jack?" curiosity pipping his interest, Danny slowed down to make a zipping motion across his lips "not telling, oh hey there's Bumblebee; hi Bee!" coming to a complete stop when he spotted him on the other side of the ice and waved enthusiastically, even being covered in oil Bee could tell he was grinning only to be slammed into a wall from the force of the rookie's throw with a startled yelp, becoming a black splatter there and emitting a low groan. Smokescreen jumped in front of the doorway "oh hey it is him; now I feel kinda bad cause you weren't lying. Anyways,  _heeey_." He greeted pressing his face up against the ice "look you've got to help me, physco over there barricaded us in here because he started throwing a hissy fit and I forgot the Phase-Shifter. So do you think you cou-Ack!" Smokescreen was cut off when a giant glowing blob careened into him, knocking him a few feet away from where he last stood and falling onto his aft with a loud thud, shaking the floor slightly where the scout stood watching.  
  
Bumblebee cringed a little but continued to watch in amusement, just about on the verge of laughing. Danny hovered midair looking irritated "that was dirty." Bumblebee sat cross legged on the floor and was unfazed by the smug grin Smokescreen wore when he pulled himself from the goop "not as dirty as you look right now." He wisecracked, Danny smirked mockingly back, eyes getting brighter by the second "like your one to talk, have you checked yourself in a mirror lately Mr Mucus? you'd fit right in for a Mucinex commercial. Anyways this is going to end here and now."   
  
Bumblebee heard multiple sets of footsteps walk towards him, but he didn't turn away from his source of entertainment for not wanting to miss what what going to transpire. "What is going on?" Optimus Prime inquired him, the commotion must have caught his attention. Swiveling his head he addressed his leader  **"I'm not entirely sure but it looks to be their version of the earth game 'water-balloon' battle."** It was then Bumblebee noticed that Arcee and Bulkhead were back, along with the human children  **"hey Raf!"**  he called out cheerfully but his voice was drowned out by the fight taking place in the Training room.   
  
"Bring it on you little troll doll!" Smokescreen cackled reaching for the last of his oil balloons within his subspace and boy was it a big one. Danny grinned evilly collecting an equally giant sized ball of ecto goop in his hands before rushing at his opponent letting out a strange battle cry "for Narnia!" just as Smokescreen let out one of his own of "for Young Justice!" and a big splatter of black and green erupted everywhere, it became eerily silent having Bee wonder if the two goof balls knocked each other out but then there was giggling, then full blown laughter sounded from the room.   
  
That was all Optimus needed to hear before transforming his servo into a sword and stabbing it into the ice wall with a enough force to shatter it like glass.   
  
   
 ** _~~~~~~DP~~~~~~_**  
  
  
Danny laid there dazed on the floor next to Smokescreen whom seemed to be in the same boat, glancing around numbly as his brain tried to make the blurriness go away he took in the room. The place was unrecognizable; instead of the bare area from earlier it looked more like a Splatoon's Turf war took place. Danny couldn't help but giggle at his mind for referencing that, but he couldn't refrain himself from tittering some more cause god he sounded like he was high, probably was given how it smelt it here. A snort sounded from Smokescreen as his body shook with barely contained mirth, before the duo knew it they were laughing their butts off.   
  
"This was so stupid" Danny threw an arm over his face as his sorta rival managed to nod in agreement. Just then the ice wall shattered everywhere making the two jump becoming startled at the unexpected noise leaping to their feet feeling tension settle over them. Optimus surveyed the room until his eyes landed on the pair who caused such a chaotic event, the Prime didn't look very pleased if the narrowing of his optics were anything to go by.   
  
Simultaneously Smokescreen and Danny pointed to each other accusingly "he started it!" "sir." Smokescreen added dipping his head respectfully. Danny's ears picked up muffled laughter coming from the hallway, he couldn't identify the voices but he was fairly certain one of them belonged to Bumblebee. Optimus sent the two a silencing glance instantly shutting him and Smokescreen up. "You are to clean up this mess the two of you created" he instructed "is that understood?" they obediently nodded though Smokey looking a bit more dejected at the statement, just behind the Autobot leader stood Ratchet looking ready to put his two cents in but was prevented from doing so when Optimus continued "you shall not argue and work together with both your efforts." Optimus paused allowing them to nod again, he nodded curtly in return "good, we shall leave you to your work."   
  
After that he turned around and left the premises, shuffled feet trailed after him until they evened out into normal strides, Ratchet could be faintly heard muttering something along the lines of "you would've thought they've learned by now." Once the footfalls died away Danny instantly whipped around and glared at the rookie "this is your fault." He stated bluntly. Smokescreen had the gall to look uninterested, instead acted like everything other then the floating teenager was fascinating "you gotta admit it was pretty fun" he said offhandedly inspecting the overhanging light fixture which was covered in their ammo's colors. Danny's shoulders slumped in defeat "yeah but the cleanup sure isn't going to be." He scratched his head idly but drawn it back being met with black slime earning a frown of disgust. "I'll go get the cleaning supplies, the sooner I can get this gunk off of me the better."   
  
Smokescreen stroked his chin thoughtfully "you'll take the top and I'll take the bottom?" he asked gesturing towards the ceiling and the floor, Danny nodded in agreement finding the plan reasonable.   
  
"Better get started then."  
  
 _ **~~~~~~**_  
  
Danny wiped the sweat and grime from his forehead leaning on the mop heavily. It must have taken an hour to get everything scrubbed down and it wasn't easy, once the oil and ectogoop got mixed up with each other it harden up for some reason, Danny had to turn it intangible to get off. Every so often Danny had complained "can't I just turn the room intangible and have this mess just phase through the floor?" but Smokescreen would deny him from doing so "no, there is the pipeline and the electrical system down there, it will get messed up and I don't want to go down there and have to fix it with Ratchet."   
  
But at least their hard work had paid off leaving a spotless room where they stood. Smokescreen dusted his hands "ready to go get cleaned ourselves?" shoving his mop into the cleaning wagon, frowning as his brows furrowed together "dang, how come when we always hang out we always got to clean something up?" Danny nodded at the first question, dropping off his mop also "yeah, phasing this stuff off is just not gonna cut it, I just know the smell is gonna linger."   
  
Smokescreen nodded back with a cringe "right." Picking up the cart Smokescreen began walking towards the entrance, only to halt when Danny plopped down onto his head "what are you doing?" he asked. "Laying on your head- ow, why do you have these pointy things? they're digging into my sides." Danny replied shifting his body trying to become more comfortable, Smokescreen huffed "rude; then get off, you can fly you lazy spook."   
  
Danny lean his head down in front of the bot's face with a frown "are you kidding me? I don't feel like it and you can just carry me, besides you owe me" he began punching lightly on the side of Smokescreen's head "come on get moving!"   
  
"Okay your  _definitely_ getting off now." Smokescreen shook his head wildly all over the place in attempts to dislodge his hitchhiker, but Danny held on with a vice grip tightening his thighs around his head. After a few more moments of shaking Smokescreen sighed in resignation as the ghost on his head smirked smugly at his achievement "fine you can stay up there, but could you at least move your hands and head so I can see where I'm going?" he asked. Danny complied to the request shifting around again hanging limply on the Autobot's head.   
  
What they weren't expecting however was yellow  _glitter_ to be suddenly dumped on them from above as soon as they passed the entrance.   
  
"What the heck Smokescreen? I thought the oil was the last prank!"  
  
"Me? more like you!"  
  
"Oh like I had the time to set this up!"  
  
"well it sure as heck wasn't me."  
  
"Then who-?"  
  
That's when they heard the childish robotic laughter sounded above them, looking up they saw the culprit in the unexpectedly large air vent with the grate pushed down with a bag of glitter next to them. "Bumblebee" they grounded out in sync. For Bumblebee to prank them from out of nowhere was unexpected leaving the duo to ponder if the scout had been planning this, his intentions were unknown since he was never involved in their prank war in the first place. With a cheeky salute Bumblebee disappeared back into the darkness of the tunnel, probably heading for the exit.   
  
Danny stared stunned, mouth struggling to form words into a comprehension sentence "how-why? how did he even fit in there? or up there for that matter?" Smokescreen glared at the ventilation shaft "probably got in it through the basement,  _little roach;_  you wanna go head him off?" Danny shook his head and held up a finger "were supposed to go get cleaned up remember? I don't think Ratchet would be too happy with us if we just waltz in the center room looking like this." He pointed out, the rookie sighed and nodded reluctantly in agreement. "And to answer your first question, it isn't that hard, me and Arcee could fit in there easily without bringing the ceiling down, everyone else? not so much."  
  
After Smokescreen dropped of the cleaning supplies he took Danny to the Wash racks where he learned that the Autobot's water pressure was set to the hardest setting which he found out the hard way by being blasted to the floor with a startled scream, making Smokescreen laugh at his misfortune.   
  
Squeaky clean and partially dry, Smokescreen's armor shined slightly and Danny's hair remained tussled dry and fluffy as they headed to the main room smelling of lavender cleaner that Danny might of  _accidentally_ broke the cap off of and gotten it on the both of them.    
  
Reaching their destination, they saw that Miko had gathered a crowd consisting of Bulkhead, Jack, Raf and Bumblebee who stood close to the former Wrecker's side while his optics would scan his surroundings every so often, as she showed them the laptop she had. Optimus had gone back to typing at the monitor and Arcee watched Miko's group from the side, Ratchet was no where in sight. Danny floated off of Smokescreen's shoulder and nodded towards the group to see what all the fuss was about as Smokescreen followed.   
  
"So as I was telling Bulkhead, I downloaded this popular game called 'Five Nights at Freddy's 2', I've been playing for two days straight and I gotta say it's super fun and awesome!" Miko exclaimed excitedly pulling a HDMI cord out of her back pack. "It's this crazy scary survival horror game that is just pure epic, you guys are gonna love it!" Raf began fumbling with his glasses nervously shifting on his feet unsteadily, Miko's version of 'fun' always seemed like the opposite of everyone else's definition of the word, watching uneasily as she began hooking up the cord to her laptop "are you sure this is a good idea?" he asked, Miko shot him a brief undeterred look before taking the other end and searching for an outlet on the computer monitors "of course I'm sure, here I'll plug it into the big screen so everyone can see it."   
  
"But I don't think Ratchet would want you to do that."  
  
She found what she was looking for and plugged the cord into the HDMI slot, placing her hands on her hips she gave him irritated expression "yeah but Ratchet isn't in here right now is he? stop being such a Worry Wart Raf, jeez." Rolling her eyes she began to turn her laptop on and start the game up. Danny perched himself onto the railing and looked over her shoulder as the home screen pulled up, frowning in consideration "I think I heard about this game before, does it involve Zombie robots or something?" he inquired causing Miko to give a knowing smirk "you could say that." Jack frowned disapprovingly, he knew there was alternative reason why she would pick this game seeing as she tried to risk her life already trying to see a zombie battle take place.  
  
"But they're more or less 'possessed'."   
  
Three almost silhouetted robots appeared on the giant monitor screen; a bear, a bunny and what looked to be a duck, glitching nearly every five seconds. Miko used the mouse to hover towards the 'continue' option and clicked. Nothing happened. She went to click again and her laptop just froze up, picking it up she shook it in attempt to getting working again to no results. "What the heck?" she asked in disbelief.   
  
Then it happened, the lights began to flicker out, dimming to near gloom. The frozen screen showed a bolt of electricity run across it, almost quietly snaking outwards across the computer modules and towers, touching every technology in it path and even to the monitor Optimus was using. Ratchet came in and dropped the box he was carrying in shock, spare parts clattering everywhere. "What is going on in here?" he demanded as Optimus walked towards his side wearing a slight frown of worry. "I wish I knew old friend." he replied his tone was grim.   
  
The screen flickered back to life with a burst of static, a gruesome dark robotic figure appeared on screen, the right side of his face was bare revealing a green complexion and traces of white hair sticking out causing Danny's ghost sense to go off as the Autobots slipped into defensive positions, whoever was causing this was defiantly a ghost. The disfigured specter eyed the group, assessing them closely before breaking out into a sadistic grin that spoke of evil intent right before cackling into a distorted robotic laugh that Danny recognized instantly.  
  
"Oh no."  
  
"It is I! Technus! master of all mechanical and technology!" Technus pronounced loudly before spotting Danny among the crowd "Ah ghost child! how unexpected of you to show up. No matter, I shall carry out my plans for world domination!" maniacal laughter came over him "and what's this?  _living_ technology?! ah for me Phantom? you shouldn't have!" multiple sparking cables snaked out from the machines leering towards them forcing everyone into a tight circle, Jack standing guard over Raf and Miko forming a barrier between them and the cords, Raf gripped his forearm fearfully. The Cybertronains powered their weapons in warning prepared to fire if provoked. Optimus glared up at the screen where Technus spoke from "what is that you want?"   
  
Technus raised his hand robotic hand to his chin in feign thought "hmm, like I just mentioned world domination and oh!" he grinned giddily which quickly turned dark.  
  
" _you_."   
  
Torrents of cables snatched them up in seconds like a hungry serpent, holding it's captives hostage in the air as they struggled to free themselves. Danny let out a shout of fury "let them go!" flying upwards towards the cable nearing the humans, hands balled up into fist as they glowed a dangerous green. He didn't see the cable that sneaked up behind him until it knocked him onto the ground painfully with a grunt, but that didn't mean he didn't get the chance to shoot it knocking it safely away from the kids for the time being.  
  
Technus ignored the squabble eyeing his cybertronian prizes as they continued to struggle to no results, bringing the tentacle containing the prime closer to his digitalized face "your a hunk" he said to Optimus his nasal voice leaking through his robotic one, grinning from ear to ear he checked the rest of them "yes! this would work nicely for my plan!"   
  
Danny was conflicted; between trying to keep the cables at bay from attacking the children and trying to free Technus' captives he hardly had enough time to do either, glaring daggers at Technus fiercely "whatever your planning Technus is never going to work, I'll stop you like I always do."   
  
Technus laughed mockingly at him "see this is where your wrong child! for you have forgotten about my previous ingenious inventions whilst I, Technus has not!" Technus announced enjoying the realization of horror displayed as plain as day on Danny's face. Arcee saw this and knew something was terribly wrong and tried harder in her attempts at breaking free, thrashing about and kicking her legs trying to get a decent kick to the screen "let us go!" she snapped. "No. Where would be the point in that?" he answered petulantly earning a growl of irritation from the femme. Smokescreen shot their captor a condescending glance "look you weirdo, if I was you I wouldn't anger her, she's got a bit of a temper and when she gets out your going to feel her wrath."   
  
"Smokescreen." Ratchet growled in warning.  
  
Said bot just shrugged "what? I'm just saying."  
  
"How did this even happen in the first place?" Bulkhead asked, a tinge of worry colored his tone.   
  
Technus smiled deviously as Danny tried to rush at him again in turn sending a sparking cable at the humans, Danny quickly changed his course and blocked the tentacle's path as it smacked him into the back wall. "Now if you don't mind, 'I'll like to get on with it' as the internet slang says." More tentacles sprang from out of nowhere, something metal glimmered in their claw like mitts and Danny saw them too late recognizing the neural transmitter chips with dread from when the ghost showed him them. The elongated arms went intangible phasing into the Autobots heads and planting them there making the group let out screams of pain, electricity coursed across their frames drowning out the sounds of Technus' manic guffawing causing everyone else to watch on in panicked fear, shouting out the names of the ones being tortured.  
  
The screams went silent, and the electricity stopped as they hung limply in the tentacles grasp they immediately feared the worst. Then their eyes snapped opened causing them to gasp, but they weren't the optics of the caring, protective transformers they knew and loved, the optics looked lifeless, haunted even as they glowed an almost whitish blue. The monitor Technus occupied flickered briefly with static before clearing up again as a proud grin graced his face.  
  
"Welcome to Five Nights Of Technus kiddies! I hoped you enjoyed living because now your going to have trouble surviving for your last moments of it!" Technus informed them. Jack surprised Danny with his bravado as he walked closer glaring at the menace with a look that could kill "What did you do to them?" he growled out through his clenched teeth, his fists shook with hardly contained rage directed at Technus. Miko copied Jack's actions and walked forward "yeah!" she agreed "and besides that's copyright infringement, you didn't come up with that."  
  
Technus shot her a peeved look. "I, Technus! was being totally original when I said that." He turned towards the zombie-fied Autobots "all of you! take care of these pest, I have a world to dominate! have fun!" With that the screen flickered into a series of coding flying across the monitor in seconds while simultaneously releasing the Autobots. Raf and Miko ran forward shouting out their guardians names in worry, Jack quickly snagged Raf by the arm to hold him back with uncertainty but he couldn't reach Miko. "Danny-" he called. The Ghost Boy snapped out of his daze and nodded flying after her "I know, I got her." He manage to grab her hand to prevent her from getting any further, whipping around she glared at him "what are you doing!? I need to check on Bulkhead!" she shouted at him. A terrifying hiss met their ears making them freeze up, turning to where the sound came from, they looked for the bot that made the noise in pile of jumbled limbs.   
  
" _RAAAGHHHHH!!_ "  
  
The four of them jumped back as the Autobot's abruptly shot up, a deranged look shone brightly in their eyes wearing hungry, physcotic grins, hissing and making unnameable horrific sounds as they dragged their bodies upwards, making their way towards them at an alarming speed; the Autobot's they knew were no longer in control of their bodies, being puppets of a virus that was eating at their minds from the inside and out. And they were coming after them.   
  
Danny's eyes spotted a green glimmer of a dome starting to form around them. _A Ghost Shield! he's gonna trap us in here!_ Danny realized.   
  
"RUN!" he shouted frantically pulling Miko by the arm until he was able to carry her and flew to one of the exit doors. Jack acknowledged the fear in Danny's voice and pulled Raf by the hand running as fast as his and the boys legs would allow them to, being herded into the other doorway that Danny and  Miko did not take by their possessed friends, screeching and growling unintelligible things just as the shield came down.  
  
 _ **~~~~~~  
  
**_ ** _To be continued..._**


	10. In for a big shock

Danny looked briefly behind him witnessing the dome officially seal off the central room trapping them in the pipeline, noticing that Jack and Raf weren't behind them. Dread settled in his gut slowing in his flight considerably "Jack?!" Danny yelled out his voice beginning to crack near the end out of fear "Raf?!" there was no answer.   
  
Smokescreen whipped his head around edge of the wall with a broken, cracked grin with eyes staring hollowly ahead at them causing Danny to stiffen. Miko gripped his arm tightly watching the possessed bot with caution "we need to get away from him; from  _here now_. Whatever you do, do not turn your back to him." she instructed slowly in a near whisper her eyes never leaving the threat, Smokescreen still hadn't left his spot which could of been a good or a very bad sign, Danny began to get the feeling all that was about to change. He was still slightly taken aback at Miko's sudden change in attitude due to the recent events, she was no longer her energetic grinning self instead replaced by a stern commanding persona. But when Danny turned to face her that was when he made his mistake which was made obvious by Miko's appalled expression.  
  
"Dude! I told you not to turn your back!" she whispered yelled at him before pulling Danny along with a surprising amount of strength as she ran. A burst of static filled laughter that sounded like it was being made by a garbage disposal followed by screeching metal dragging against the floor echoed behind them, facing the threat Danny's mouth went agape, Smokescreen's appearance was growing slightly more horrific by the minute; his jaw looked like it was going to fall off soon in the slacken position it was in, his optics and biolights kept flickering to black and back to a dull blue illuminating the deep scratches making them appear more prominent, that twisted smile somehow never left. "What the heck-? like wha-? how is he-? that ain't right." Danny fumbled to form a complete sentence shocked at Smokescreen's increasingly gruesome look."Jeez Smokescreen, when you let yourself go you  _really_  let yourself go, like you go all out. Go big or go home as the saying goes."   
  
Despite the grim situation Danny's sarcastic wit never left him, a strangled screech bounced off the walls creating a loud echo that rattled their insides. "Do you think that made him mad?" Danny asked Miko lightheartedly only to flinch as she shot him a dirty look "uh, what do you think?" she snapped sarcastically "while your chitchatting-the guy who can fly- I'm doing all the leg work." Danny ducked his head embarrassingly "hah right, sorry." Swiftly he pulled her into his arms and shot down the dark corridor, his white glow fading from their pursuer's view.   
  
However being able to see was another problem since the lights were gone, steadily Danny's eyes adjusted to the gloom but he couldn't see more then twenty inches ahead of him. Danny came to a halt, descending onto the ground and placing Miko down, he hadn't a clue which of the many hallways they were under but at least they lost their pursuer. With the flick of the wrist an ectoball came to life in his palm as a light source casting a green sheen against the shadows. "Okay, what's the plan?" Miko asked, she may have seemed calm but her posture told Danny that she was on high alert. "We find the others," came his simple response "once we regroup we'll form our next course of action to save the bots and stop Technus."   
  
Miko nodded noting the slight authoritative tone edging into his voice, what she found odd though was that Danny stood on the ground instead of hovering midair which was per the norm since meeting the strange ghost teen. Now Miko could see that he was shorter then what he appeared to be, she having a good four inches height difference, this newly acquired fact sparked a question within her curious mind "how old were you when you died?" Danny's eyebrows shot up in surprise but none of it leaked into his tone when he answered "fourteen...Why?" Miko crossed her arms as they began walking, there was no point in standing around when there was a problem at hand. "You just act older that's all." Danny rubbed the back of his neck with a uncertain bashfulness "uh... Thanks I guess?"   
  
"I'm guessing you've been at this for awhile then, like fighting your own kind." Miko stated offhandedly making a small grimace appear on his face as Danny's gaze shifted downward feeling a lump form in his throat, scuffing his heel against the dusty floor "yeah..." he replied halfheartedly not liking the way this conversation was heading and decided to redirect it. A brief memory sprung to mind that he wouldn't mind getting answers to. "So what happened the other day? between you and Jack I mean; why did you get so upset? I've been meaning to ask but it never seemed like the right time."   
  
Miko's expression instantly turned sour as she bit her lip and glared at their lightless pathway, "Miko?" Danny pried further, Miko spun on her heel to face him lips becoming taut shooting him a flinty glare "because," she bit out "every time I try to prove myself I'm always turned down." Now he was confused "why would you need to prove-?"    
  
"because everyone around here thinks I'm not capable of handling myself! my parents, Jack, the bots, even _you!_ " before Danny could protest against that she cut him off "don't try to deny it, that's exactly why you left me up on the ridge. My whole life I wasn't allowed to make my own decisions my parents chose everything for me and created something I'm not! piano lessons?  _their_ idea!" Miko whispered harshly "they controlled what I was going to wear, where I was supposed to be, who my friends were; everything! the only thing they allowed me to do was let me adopt my two cats. They wanted me to be this-this  _perfect_ little doll that they got to dress up and drag everywhere! up until I was nine I was scared of trying to be my own person because I thought they would be disappointed in the daughter they were trying to raise and take it away, so anything I really liked had to be kept a secret." Miko exhaled heavily collecting her thoughts on what she was going to say next, the tension in her shoulders fading as she continued calmly "I literally jumped at the chance to leave Japan when I was offered to participate in the student exchange program, the farther away from my parents the better. See this?" she asked pulling at the pink strip in her hair "I chopped off some of my hair and dyed it pink as soon as I came to my host parents' house." a rebellious glint sparkled in her eyes that Danny had seen many times before in Sam's, the reminder almost made him smile at the familiarity.   
  
"I took up electric guitar, trying my hand at art and participated in riots! anything my parents would've wanted I did the opposite; and when I met the Autobots it got even better, Bulk being the most accepting person I've ever met. They became like the family and friends I never had." The excited note in her voice faded and became somber "but I don't want to be a person who stands by as the world falls apart. I want to be helping to save it, help in anyway I can not by cowering behind someone else's shield."  
  
The explanation made sense, taking it all in Danny nodded understandingly "I get it," he admitted "my parents-when I was uh alive- always wanted me to be a part of the family business you could say but I wanted to be an astronaut, they never really listened to what I wanted being too consumed with their work." His sister pretty much raised him now that he thought about it, sure they would acknowledge he actually existed every now and then especially when he got called in by the principal but they always seemed to acknowledge Jazz more seeing how accomplished she was with being at the top of her classes and is an aspiring physiologist always had Danny a bit envious of the attention, especially when they'll say things like "why can't you be more like Jazz?" which drove him up the wall when he was  _trying_ his best. Danny always felt he would need to prove himself to his parents, to show them he wasn't a disappointment, no amount of reassuring's he got from them just sounded fake and pitiful. He found it ironic when Jazz tried to prove to him that she could be a capable member of their team, he'd always thought that she was a snobbish fink; held herself in high regards always insisting that she was a 'mature' young adult that would grate on his nerves to no end. But when Danny finally snapped at her he instantly regretted it, she just wanted to help.  
  
Miko would be no different.  
  
Danny motioned for them to stop "step into my office." Miko's eyebrow shot up questionably "you don't have an office." Danny's other hand quickly glowed blue creating something that suspiciously resembled a lumpy Jack out of ice before waving her off "yeah yeah, but just humor me for a sec. I may not be a physiologist or whatever but here's something I think that will help. I call it: ' _hello_ misplaced aggression'." He then crafted a ice mallet and handed it over to her "here have a go." Miko's eyes assessed the mallet over in her hands quietly feeling the chill it gave off running up into her arms and down to the marrow of her bones, casting a sideways glance at Danny who shrugged back "hey it works for me."  
  
She drew in a small breath bringing it high above her hand for a reconsidering minute before bringing it down upon the ice statue, pounding it repeatedly causing fractures to appear with each grunt she made. "And Jack? he acts just like them, acting like he cares, always being the responsible one, the one to most likely go on missions while I'm stuck at base."   
  
 **BAM!**  a deeper fracture appeared stating that the icy figure was at it's breaking point.  
  
"But really he's just trying to control me like everyone else!" with one final swing it shattered, ice raining everywhere like broken glass. Miko panted heavily as her breathless outburst caught up to her, the ice mallet slipped from numb fingers shattering as well rendering it obsolete.   
  
"I just want to prove to them that I can do this."   
  
An unfamiliar weight on his hip evoked Danny's attention, identifying it to be the freeze ray he made not too long ago and grabbed it. "Then prove yourself. Prove yourself by helping me save the bots and take down Technus." Danny's ectoball disappeared as his white aura flared as a light so he'd have his hands free. Danny grabbed her hand uncurling her clenched fingers and placing the pistol in them. The two made eye contact determination blazing fiercely in the sets of hazel and radioactive green iris', having a common goal that they were going to achieve no matter what it took. "You do realize you just promoted taking your violence out on others right?" she asked somewhat amused as he shrugged "eh, more or less." Miko smirked shaking her head "well anyways, I just wanna let you know I got your back."Miko stated firmly bringing a smirk to appear on Danny's face as he allowed her to jump onto his back getting a good hold onto her feet and continued in their path via airborne. "And I got yours."   
  
 _  
 **~~~~~~TFP~~~~~~**_  
  
  
His legs ached as they passed what must have been the fifth corridor feeling the burning in his lungs grow more intense. Raf tighten his one armed hold over his laptop and the scanner Ratchet had dropped and managed to snag during all the confusion, his legs struggled to compete with Jack's longer strides. Raf bit his lip trying to keep in the need to ask for a much needed break but with knowing the danger that was following them at a rapid pace made it easier to push the feeling aside and keep going. Jack held a vice grip around his wrist pulling Raf along as they continued to run, Jack's head was on a constant swivel ears perked for any sound. The back up generator hasn't turned on yet had them running blind and having to rely on their memory as they ran through the dark. Raf was certain the sound of their feet pounding against the ground was forever going to be ringing in his ears falling into rhythm with his pounding heart.  
  
Jack pulled the younger teen through a doorway entering a dark room, jumping he slammed his fist against a button on the side wall making the door slide close with a relieving  _ **thunk**_. They panted heavily inhaling as much oxygen they could bring into their starved lungs. Raf felt Jack's hand leave his wrist eliciting a lump of apprehension to settle in his throat not wanting to be left alone. "J-Jack?" Raf called out hugging the electronic devices closer to his chest wishing he could see in this pitch black room.   
  
"I'm over here."   
  
Jack's voice came from Raf's far left, a click noise followed as a bright yellow glow illuminated Jack's face as he held up a small lighter. Raf went to his side instantly not trusting anything to not suddenly leap out from the shadows and grab him. "Where are we?" he asked as the older teen used the lighter as flashlight looking for something "Arcee's room" he answered coming upon a chest and rummaged through it "this is her stash of extra mission supplies in case of an emergency." He pulled out a large flashlight and glowstick in which he handed the former over to Raf "always be prepared." He said with a grim smile.  
  
Raf flicked the switch on when Jack shut the lighter off, the sixteen year old snapped the glow stick and shook it achieving it to glow yellow. The reminder of why they were put into this situation to begin with made his stomach feel raw with fear. That will to protect he had always seen in their optics since meeting the team had been vanquished so suddenly it almost seemed hard to believe, like a hot coal being extinguished still had him reeling. It was almost like a dream-no, more like a nightmare, the reality of it all seemed imagined; it just had to be a bad dream. But Raf wasn't waking up, reality was progressively getting worse and him having a panic attack right now seemed plausible. "Jack? you don't think everyone's gone for good right?" he asked needing reassurance that there was a way to save the bots and he wasn't just trying to place his hope into something that was ultimately a lost cause. Being chased by a zombified Skyquake was enough to last him a lifetime, he didn't want to be hunted down by their cybertronian friends and possibly be killed by them.   
  
 _No!_  Raf immediately felt ashamed for even having these thoughts, Bumblebee wouldn't have been so quick to consider giving up, he would've been thinking of a way to get whatever it was making the bots go insane out. If their positions were reversed Bumblebee would stop at nothing to save him even if there was a slim chance of him being successful, it was one of the many reasons Raf looked up to his guardian. Raf hadn't gave up on Bee when he was being controlled by Megatron, he wouldn't do so now not when everyone's life was at stake. Jack's harden look soften upon seeing Raf's fearful expression, kneeling down in front of Raf he placed a hand on his shoulder and squeezed it comfortingly "our guys are going to be just fine Raf, we just need to find Phantom."  
  
"Why?"   
  
"Because he obviously recognized that thing-err ghost so he must know a way to defeat it" he rationalized. "We just got-" Jack paused mid sentence and clamped a hand over Raf's mouth signalling him to be quiet, Raf dully nodded as they listened.  
  
 ** _CANK, CANK CANK._**  
  
Something was moving around above them , they needed to leave before the room became fully compromised. Careful as to not make a sound, they edged their way to the door, Jack raised a fist and slammed it against the button once more, the door slid open as Jack poked his head out scanning the perimeter before his eyes landed on something glowing at the end of the hallway and jerked his head back from view before he was spotted. "Someone's lurking around at the end of the hall" Jack whispered "I think it might be Ratchet. When I give the signal we run the other way." Raf nodded as they got into position, "alright" he whispered back. The bot at the end of the hall was hunched over swaying languorously, dragging it's upper appendages along the ground mindlessly making a screeching noise leaving a fine spray of sparks in it's wake. The possessed bot threw it's head this way and that making incoherent growls as it searched for something, Raf swallowed heavily; that something was most likely them. It reared it's head back looking down the way it came creating an opening for them. "Now!" Jack's hold around his wrist returned as the duo put on a burst of speed and ran as fast as humanly possible, heartbeats drumming loudly somewhat masking their breathless panting. The sound of their running feet must have caught the bot's attention, it began to give chase letting out a monstrous screech that sounded too much like an Insecticon, his blood pumping in his veins instantly turned to ice feeling the urge to scream just wanting to vocalize his growing panic.   
  
Raf glanced over his shoulder, the light from his flashlight bounced across the bot chasing them until it caught a flash of silver dragging along the ground and after the light flickered over it again Raf recognized it with growing dread as Ratchet's surgical blades. Turns out Jack's hunch was right, Ratchet was going full on Terminator on them or at least the thing possessing his body was. A flash of silver appeared in the air, and for a tantalizing moment it hovered there until Ratchet brought the blade down missing them by inches. " ** _Scrheeee_**!"   
  
 _Scrap scrap scrap! he's right above us!_  Jack's hand tighten around Raf's wrist as he spared a quick glance behind them, Ratchet was  _way_ too close for comfort for his liking. Ratchet's surgical blade swung upwards again to take another swing at them, Raf was depending on him and so were the bots, Jack was determined not to let them die. Finding renewed strength he miraculously pulled Raf into a fireman's carry and ran.   
  
The screeching behind them steadily got quieter but despite this Jack's instincts continued to tell him to run, with the added weight on his shoulders he pushed on searching for a safe place to hide. Jack must have been running for a good five minutes before his legs gave out on him, the strain of the constant running finally became too much for his trembling legs. Raf tumbled into a roll at the unexpected crash lading, feeling a bruise blossom on his hip when he landed hard on his dropped flashlight. Groaning Raf pushed himself to his knees, it was with good fortune that none of the electronic devices were damaged in the tumble. His chocolate brown eyes searched for his former carrier, the glowstick rocked back in forth beside him before going still. With a trembling hand he picked it up looking to the direction to where they came, the soft golden glow rested on a prone figure gasping for breath. "Jack!" Raf whispered worriedly "are you okay?"   
  
A fit of coughs overtook his laborious gasps, Raf scurried to his side and rolled him onto his side to promote a better airflow, through his strained inhaling he managed a nod. The sweat on Jack's forehead soaked his front bangs showing just how much getting away from Ratchet had taken out of him, Raf chewed his lip eyeing the rise and fall of the older teen's chest with troubling thoughts. They were already exhausted, outrunning the mindless medic led to the outcome of Jack collapsing just showed how much they were in over their heads. They couldn't do this forever and the bots had more of an advantage at finding them before they can begin to get their energy back. It's already been a half hour and there was still no sign of Danny or Miko, perhaps they had been captured or worse? Raf quickly shook the thoughts away before they became darker, he needed to think positive, there was still a chance that they were still around avoiding the bots like they were.   
  
Maybe they were having better luck then him and Jack.  
  
Finally the burning in Jack's lungs faded to a more manageable sting, oxygen cycled more easier now through his mouth. Shakily he pushed himself to his feet leaning onto the wall for support as he felt a stinging sensation shoot up into his foot instantly picking it off the floor with a with a wince. the concern in Raf's eyes grew, handing him the glowstick back as he went to pick up his abandoned flashlight he felt the ground tremble beneath his hand making him freeze. "Jack..." Raf swallowed heavily, Jack lifted his head from it's slouched position and glanced at him "Yeah?"   
  
"I hear footsteps.  _Loud_ footsteps."  
  
Jack instantly tensed, stumbling to make his way over to the younger boy holding back a hiss whenever he put pressure on his foot settling for walking with a limp. The Bot was defiantly closer now, with every step sent quakes under their feet, growing more intense with every footfall. Jack's mouth seemed to become drier finding it hard to swallow the lump of apprehension growing in his throat, he felt hot and cold and the same time.   
  
 ** _Thunk, Thunk._**  
   
They could try to run again, but Jack seriously doubted they would get very far and there was no where to hide so that wasn't even an option.  
  
 ** _HAAHNK...HAh HAAAHhheerrrm....._**  
  
What the heck was  _that!?_  It sounded like a distorted cassette tape being put into rewind and slowed down laughter echoing off the walls as the result. It was the exact sound Jack had heard countless times in every horror movie or show he seen, right before the physco killer came around the corner with its weapon of choice dressed in blood wearing a face of insanity.  _This can't be happening, this can't be happening, THIS CAN'T BE HAPPENING._  Jack's heart and mind was racing, terrified into ignorant disbelief not wanting to believe this was happening.   
  
A silhouette appeared around the corner, flickering blue optics gazed about languorously teetering forward, Jack felt his veins turn to ice when that dead stare landed on them, the blue glow faintly revealed a sadistic wide doll-like grin as a resounding  _shinkt_  rang out. Raf shakily raised the flashlight onto the approaching figure, nearly dropping it in shock upon seeing who it was. That cruel grin and cold blooded demeanor was something that defiantly shouldn't be described as Optimus Prime at all, but there he was, staggering towards them with his signature blade catching fragments of light. He was too close, too close to be able to do anything to avoid him, they had nothing to defend themselves.  
  
They were going to die.  
  
"Optimus please!" Raf cried out fearfully "you don't want to do this!" the possessed Optimus had backed them into a corner, leering closer; just above them. The blade was posed to strike, their hearts pulsed against their rib cages.  **"No child.. I _want_  to!"** the voice that came out of Optimus' mouth sounded like the ghost's from earlier with hints of the Prime's vocals and static. Then something happened, Optimus' optics flickered to a brighter blue as he let a groan, grabbing his bladed servo and clutching it tightly to his chassis. Every dent and missing pieces in his armor flickered to a green ooze briefly before stabilizing back into it's gruesome appearance. "Ja-Jack.." Optimus stuttered out strenuously "Rafael..."   
  
Jack's tensed stance relaxed some hearing the Prime's normal voice, somehow he was fighting the ghost that was controlling him but for how long he was still going to be in control was uncertain. "Optimus?" Jack asked as he met Optimus' eyes which would flicker to black every few seconds. "I... _errghh_ I need you... To get Raf...You...You- need to..." The strain it was taking just for Optimus to try to communicate with them was heart wrenching, his frame was trembling as he fell to his knees groaning with effort with the internal battle he was experiencing. Was he trying to tell them how to stop the ghost? Raf peeked worriedly from behind Jack's outstretched arm as a form of protection "Optimus..Are you okay?" despite wanting to reassure Raf, Optimus had to put his energy into what he wanted to get across before it was too late. The ghost was hacking through his firewalls at an exponential rate, the fight for regaining control over his body again had been intense, the ghost thought he had been pushed away to the far corners of his processor and let his guard down, it was then Optimus had seized his chance and got back some form of control. But now the ghost was back and fighting back harder, he could feel himself losing and his consciousness fading away. "What is it you need us to do?" Jack asked successfully pushing aside his fear and injury and ready to take action when Optimus gave the order, the makings of a true solider if he had time to ponder the thought further. The black in his optics lasted longer this time, the shudders racking through his frame were more powerful this time, the sound of something shutting down pierced the air as his optics became blue for one last time he managed to say one thing.  
  
" _Run!_ "  
  
The maniacal Cheshire cat grin returned just as Jack and Raf took off heading for the direction Optimus had came from.  ** _"You really thought that I would be giving up this stud-alicious of a body_ that  _easy?"_**  crazed laughter rang through out the air behind them, it didn't sound like it was chasing them but they kept running not wanting to chance it.  
  
  
 _ **~~~~~~DP~~~~~~  
  
  
**_ "Do you think it's bad we haven't ran into anyone yet?" Miko questioned keeping her head turned for anyone approaching from behind. Danny glanced around their flight path scanning with suspicious eyes at every dark corner they neared. "Depends on how you want to look at it I guess, I mean, do you  _want_ to encounter  _any_ of them when they're in this state?" Danny shuddered as Smokescreen's haunted look came to mind. Their condition seemed to deteriorate the longer Technus had them under his control, by now they probably looked like the exact things nightmares were made of.   
  
"Just thinking what if they found Jack and Raf and that's what keeping them occupied?" Miko stated pointedly tensing when she swore she saw a shadow move. "Hey, shine that ghost ray thing back towards this way for a moment." Danny didn't hesitate and did as requested, having the light source increase in mass for the darker areas as his hand moved from left to right in a sweeping motion. Danny's eyes narrowed as his bottom lip jutted out "I don't see anything there." Miko glanced over his shoulder looking unconvinced "can you cut the lights for a few seconds?"   
  
Danny eyed her like she had also gone crazy making her roll her eyes " _ughhh_ , just trust me okay?" Danny grimaced before sighing, extinguishing the light within his hand leaving them in the dark. Danny felt Miko's warm breathing tickling his ear as they stared anxiously waiting for something that probably wasn't even there. Miko leaned closer to his ear "I've been wondering, what  _exactly_ does my gun thingy do?" she whispered. "It fires ice blasts." Danny whispered back but quickly continued as he felt her tense in excitement feeling a squeal of excitement coming "But. You only got eight blasts before the ice crystal runs out and will need to come to me for a refill."   
  
Miko made a muffled groan "that sucks. Why can't you just make the ice crystal bigger?"  
  
"Any bigger and it will overload it, which admittedly does suck. So when you use it you got to make  _every_ shot count." Despite not liking the turnout, Miko nodded understandingly "got it."   
  
 _Clink_.  
  
The duo's eyes instantly snapped to where the noise sounded from growing rigid. Danny's hand instantly went aflame in radioactive light shining it into the same direction, Bulkhead stood in the middle of the hallway, jaw hanging askew and his paint job chipping away greatly, starring hollowly at them optics shuttering in and out, small streams of blue leaking from dark cracks. " _Hoooooly_ bed sheets!" Danny yelled jumping a foot in the air at how close  _Bulkhead_ , the one on the team who's not at all agile or at the very least  _quiet_ for that matter had managed to sneak up on them and was now standing less than ten feet away from them. At least Bulkhead wasn't coming after them. "Okay that is just creepy." Miko said just above a whisper, not liking the way her guardian was watching them, seeming to analyses their very beings, like he was trying to predict what they were going to do next. Danny narrowed his eyes at the threat and began making sweeping motions with his other hand "hey! get of here! scat! shoo, shoo! don't need to be stalking the halls like some kind of child molester! now shoo!" Miko slapped him lightly on the back of his head "he's not some dog! stop talking to him like that."   
  
Danny glared mockingly at her "and do you have a better idea to get him to leave without causing him harm?"   
  
"let me try to talk him, I know Bulk is still in there somewhere and I might be able to bring him out." She reasoned. Danny chewed his bottom lip uncertainly, it could work or it might not, but they couldn't automatically disregard there being a slight chance at getting through to the olive green bot. Reluctantly he nodded, descending downwards allowing her to get down and walk towards Bulkhead, nothing about this sat right with him but he couldn't deny her the chance to getting through to her best friend, Danny would just hover a few inches away from her just in case anything happens.  
  
Miko walked cautiously towards the stilled mech locking eyes with the soulless optics. "Bulkhead?" she called up to him receiving no response "I know somewhere inside you can still hear me and I just want to let you know that I'm not giving up on you, so don't give up to this lunatic. Your strong Bulk! the strongest bot I know." Bulkhead's body shuddered slightly like a ripple effect of a bright green before disappearing, becoming still and silent once more as he stared at her. Miko took this as a sign a she was getting through to him "so fight him! I know you can take him easily." Danny's shoulders became less stiff.  
  
  _is it actually working?_  Bulkhead's frame shivered more intensely now, it looked like what Miko was saying was getting through to him.  
  
Bulkhead let out an animalistic screech looking between insanely excited and cannibalistic. His fist turned into a wrecking ball and swung down at Miko.  _Guess not!_  Danny quickly relinquished his light source and dove for her and turned them both intangible just as the now spiked wrecking ball came down  passing through them and into the floor creating a giant indention, Danny rocketed back into the air arms crisscrossed over Miko's midsection getting far out of the giant's reach, Miko began to squirm "hey! I was getting through to him!" she protested. Danny turned them both intangible again and phased them through the upper floor before replying "nope! you had your chance now visiting hours are over with cray-cray. We'll try again later once we got a straitjacket and a therapist." Miko grumbled in dissatisfaction "I thought you trusted me?" slowing down to a hover to shift her into a more comfortable position "I  _do_ trust you it's just him I don't trust. He's waning in and out of the deep end at the moment and I wouldn't put it past him to unintentionally hurt you, not when Technus is using him as his personal puppet."   
  
Miko huffed, understanding seeping into her expression and began to fiddle with the ice pistol, thumb grazing the side of it lazily as she went back to gazing behind them as lookout, not speaking after that. Danny frowned at her sudden silence and sighed, looking back to their flight path with no intended destination in mind.   
  
They must have been at this for an hour already and they were still no closer to stopping the technology obsessed ghost, this would've been so much easier with his team consisting of his two best friends and the occasional assistance from his sister, they worked well with each other for they knew how each operated, Tucker was tech support who was also a genius in his own right, Sam fought from the sidelines for a fast retreat so she could attack from another angle and was also a decent strategist, Jazz was the thinker; supplying excuses for them when they needed them as well as backup support while Danny was the one on the front lines who did all the fighting. They functioned quite well together, sure they had their ups and downs but they worked through it, they knew each others weaknesses and faults; they helped support one another to make up for it. But this. This makeshift group of teenagers were new to him, he didn't know their strong suits and how well their functionality as a unit was, they might be completely chaotic, breaking out into petty arguments might be run of the mill for them, Danny witnessed it first hand when he saw how easily Jack and Miko got into it and left the problem unresolved between them. Granted, this wasn't Amity Park, Amity dealt with ghosts on a daily basis, Jasper apparently had robots, it was an entirely different playing field. Danny heaved a sigh, he really needed to stop wishing that his friends were here with him and make due with what he has.   
  
He cocked his head to the side upon hearing a distant noise, focusing, he forced his hearing to listen further, blocking out the sound of Miko's breathing allowing his ears to travel.   
  
 _Thump thump thump thump..._  
  
It sounded like someone was running, a few halls down maybe. Too light and deliberate to be the bots, too afraid. There was a heavier thump every few seconds which confused him to no end. The person was growing exhausted, their strides becoming more clumsy, sluggish more reckless.   
  
 _It's them!_  Danny eyes widen at the realization "Jack and Raf!" he whispered catching Miko's attention "they're in trouble. Hang on." Was the only warning she received before Danny zipped towards the noise as she let out a quiet as possible whoop. Halls rushed past his vision as his eyes scanned for the two boys, soft green lights appearing upon what his vision laid on. Danny nearly passed the next hallway up when he spotted a yellow glowstick running farther down the hall, backtracking he flew after them. Danny was just behind Jack, reaching out he tapped him on the shoulder to catch his attention.   
  
Bad decision.   
  
Jack nearly tripped in his limp as he let out a scream which made Raf also scream as Jack hugged him tight hoping to shield the younger boy, out of panic Raf swung the flashlight he was carrying down on Danny's head,  _hard_. He and Miko crashed into the ground unconsciously dropping her as he let out a painful "ooww!" luckily it wasn't from a great height. Black spots dotted his vision as he rubbed the sore spot, blinking them away he looked up at the bleary figures of the ones he was searching for. "Owww..." He moaned out again "watch where your swinging that thing would you?" Jack and Raf instantly relaxed as they realized who it was and not another physco chasing them, Raf brought the electronics up to his face shamefully as he looked down at him apologetically "sorry, I just reacted."   
  
Danny's vision cleared up, upon hearing the sincerity in the apology he shrugged "its okay, it was accident." Miko groaned beside him, lifting her face up and shot him a halfhearted glare "jeez, before you drop someone next time can ya warn them?" Danny rubbed the back of his neck meekly "oops." Pushing herself up she stood upright smirking at her human friends as she dusted herself off "great! looks like the band's back together! Harmonica-lad and Techno-keys united with their lead guitarist." She announced enthusiastically in hopes of lightening up the mood. Danny frowned as he eyed Jack and Raf, it was reasonable to be a bit jumpy when someone was chasing you, but they were too uneasy. The way they kept glancing about fidgeting every few seconds unsettled him, being out in the open like this was probably sending their nerves through the roofs. "Who was it?" Danny questioned face hardening "was it bad?"    
  
Raf's uneasy eyes met his, fingers tapping softly against his laptop's back casing thinking on what he wanted to say. "Just Ratchet and Optimus... But there might have been a third one in Arcee's room, I'm not sure..." Raf trailed off no longer feeling able to meet his eyes, upon closer inspection Danny saw that the chestnut haired boy was quivering revealing just how much the encounter spooked him making his gut turn guiltily, that guilt intensified when he noticed how Jack was favoring his foot. Floating the brief distance between them Danny's aura flared to provided better lighting, glancing upwards at Jack he asked "how's your foot feeling?" Jack scratched the back of his head uncomfortably "eh, not too bad I guess, it's probably just a sprain." Danny prodded his foot experimentally, eliciting a small hiss to escape Jack's clenched teeth before Danny pronounced his verdict. "Defiantly sprained; though not badly, you should defiantly put some ice on it. Lucky for you I'm like a personal ice dispenser!" Danny said offering a cheerful smile showing him two glowing blue fingers before bringing them to his foot, tapping lightly against the abused fabric a fine layer of frost covered the painful area inside the sneaker.   
  
"How's that?" he asked looking up from his handiwork, Jack shifted his foot and nodded looking a little relieved "feels a bit better now, thanks." Danny dusted off his hands for show as he bounced to his feet puffing his chest out proudly "no problem, now we just need to-"   
  
A unnatural shiver went down their spines, the silence surrounding them suddenly seemed off, a tune softly played distantly as it neared their location. A music box playing My Grandfather's Clock sang eerily through the silence, with every key played on the xylophone sent foreboding piercing into their chests, something that would be playing at a haunted carnival or someone with a sick sense of humor. No matter where they looked they couldn't pin where the music was coming from echoing from all sides. The long drawled out sound of a floorboard creaking came from the end of the hall, "no, no no no  _no!_ " Miko whispered with fearful eyes, "I died every time in the game when this song was playing! something horrible is going to happen!" hallway lights began flickering in blinding white sporadically making it hard to see experiencing loss of vision at the sudden brightness. Blinking the black spots away Danny swore he spotted something shift. "Uh, guys?" he said trying to get their attention. "I might just be seeing things but I'm positive there's someone over there." The group of humans looked towards where the Ghost Boy pointed, trying to see past the flashing overhanging lights finding a silhouette, a set of blue optics was watching them before disappearing altogether.  
  
"Oh god I hate this," Jack whispered, dread lacing every word "I hate this  _so_ much."  
  
The music diminished to allow warped laughter to take it's place, it sounded like it came from the right, but they weren't entirely certain. Miko raised the pistol and fired at where she thought it was coming from, they were greeted by silence in return and the lights to turn off. Miko sighed shakily feeling slightly relieved "I think I got 'em." A sudden burst of statistic laughter screeched mockingly beside them seeing rows of razor sharp teeth whir into motion gleaming in the light of Danny's aura.  
  
"AHHHHHH!" everyone screamed at the sudden appearance, Danny fired off multiple blasts of ectoplasm per second at the fiendish adversary missing every time but successfully distracting it. "I need everyone to group hug right now!" Danny shouted over the 'pew pew' noises. Whether them being compliant or to shocked to question it, they did so anyway; Jack and Miko wrapping their arms around Raf in a tight huddle. Firing in one last blast Danny whirled around and formed a ghost shield around them, the energy from his hands wafted around the bubble and brought them airborne in front of him, making a hasty retreat to find refuge unknown to him if the bot was giving chase.  
  
  
 ** _~~~~~~TECHNUS~~~~~~_**  
  
  
Technus' fingers flew across the digital keyboard he'd conjured up within the system, hacking his way through one of the twenty firewalls he had already bypassed. The computer was heavily encrypted, someone with great skill had programmed these firewalls whom must be a hacker themselves if they were able to keep him out this long, as much as Technus would hate to admit it but he wasn't at the top of his game; he dared to say he is  _outdated_ even, he'd came across so many new strands of coding that needed deciphering only able to picking out bits and pieces and was still having a rough time, this coder was probably as good as Phantom's friend, that Foley kid, perhaps even better. It was like it was programmed into another language with bits of code he recognized only improved.   
  
Technus frowned, he refused to find a code he can't crack, he was nearly into the governments mainframe once so if he could bypass all that he could surely get pass these. But thanks to this little expedition through the maze of firewalls, he was learning how the alien coding worked and was able to translate a few of them back into regular English, this came especially in handy for keeping his new toys in check, lifting his left hand he swiped a collection of images into view, seeing what the robots were witnessing through their optics. Breaking down a few of their built in barriers had been difficult but not impossible, but when one-namely the giant red and blue mech- fell out of line and tried to break free from the control of his mind chips he was forced to step in transferring himself away from his work through the energy connection and into the rebelling robot's mind to interfere, hacking a few more firewalls and locking him within a small corner in his mind where his memories were stored; that should keep him busy for long while.   
  
Just to think all this beautiful advanced technology would've went to waste for he hadn't escaped the Ghost child's clutches and taken the path he chosen that night.  
  
 ** _Flashback_**  
  
 _Technus abandoned the fight scene taking flight away from his adversary while he was down. As much as he hated to admit it, Technus had been severely weakened since he had put all his energy into those electronics to create his robotic form, he needed to flee before Danny Phantom regained his bearings and captured him in that accursed thermos and take his mind control chips away.  
  
Technus flew through a neighborhood, anywhere he could hideout for the time being until the halfa given up searching for him. Rain pelted on his form tiring him further but he traveled on until a light and a tug from his ghost core caught his eye, backtracking he came up to house with a bedroom window seeing what was calling out to his obsession. There on the desk in the room was a laptop, screen on illuminating the furniture slightly. There was no one around.  
  
Technus phased through the wall, barely taking notice of the guitar and Slash Monkey posters adorning the walls, instead was staring fixated at the laptop which seemed to be in the process of downloading something.  
  
The technology obsessed ghost grinned._ Yes, this would do nicely.  _He would hide out in this person's laptop regaining his strength and lie and wait to strike again. And with that plan in mind he phased into the computer where he learned all about the Five Night's at Freddy's game which Miko played the next morning, alternating his appearance as his strength grew as he became more and more fascinated with the terrifying game_.      
  
Back to the present, his former plan would've been considered small scale in comparison to the added addition of giant mechs wielding quite the firepower to take over the world, while he brought the virtual to the real world, his new recruits would be his army obliterating anyone who stood his way, a.k.a. that Phantom brat. There was upsides and downsides to his new machines, the upside being they were sentient beings who could analyse a battle situation and act accordingly to his orders which became less of a chance of them being destroyed, plus be someone to rant his plans of conquest to. Downside,  _they were sentient beings_ , they had thoughts of their own apparently which could lead to a rebellion against his command.   
  
Despite the fact that he failed to successfully trap Phantom within the main area so he could torture the humans utilizing the bots to hunt them down and eventually kill them cause what the heck, he was living in the moment and he felt like it, Phantom would've been devastated seeing as there wouldn't be anything for him to do about it, Technus knew it would've crushed him, seeing as he was the hero type and all. Technus watched the screen from the yellow bot's point of view, as much as he enjoyed experiencing the game when the human girl had played, Technus felt like adding his own special touch to the real life inspired event transpiring at the moment through out the military base, in his opinion he had improved it for the better. So what if the bots became more insane when left alone for too long? it just made all the more fun and exciting, just because Technus was cooped up within the virtual cyberspace of coding didn't mean he wouldn't mind some entertainment.  
  
A ping sounded upon decoding another strand of code "yes! I, Technus, master of all technology has decrypted another firewall!" Technus exclaimed "now just onto-" Technus paused as more firewalls appeared, he growled in frustration "the twenty two of a hundred to go."   
  
  
 _ **~~~~~~DP~~~~~~  
**_  
  
Danny turned them intangible phasing through the vent granting, settling down in the vent shaft, his bubble dispersed into little fading fragments freeing its passengers from the cramped space, beginning to shift about to get the kinks out of their joints Danny raised a finger to his lips signalling for silence. A set of headlights lit the dark corridor from far down, Danny leaned as far as he dared near the grate to get a better look; a shadow of a car was seen, a distant rumble sounded from its engine threateningly, like it was anticipating the thrilling challenge of the hunt. Danny swallowed uneasily,  _does it know were here and is just waiting for us to come out?_ the thought left him unsettled but he didn't want to give the threat any further reason to believe they were here by checking, it was best to just sit tight.   
  
The car let out puffs of exhaust that sounded like a heavy breath of a growl, it was so loud it was almost like they were next to them. The engine rumbled again before driving along slowly; deliberately to freak them out. Danny's eye darted to the side when he caught movement coming from Raf.  
  
Raf's nose twitched involuntarily, eyes beginning to squint as his mouth pulled in a disgruntled frown, Danny instantly recognized the signs of the beginning of a sneeze, dust particles could be seen floating around in the airspace lazily due to the disturbance of them hiding away in the vent. Miko watched Danny's wide eyes as he waved frantically at her and pointed beside her, turning her gaze her eyes widened a fraction mouthing an 'oh' upon seeing the twelve year old boy struggle to hold in a sneeze. Quickly her hand flew towards his mouth, thumb and pointer finger pinching below his nose in attempts at stopping his sneeze. She sent him a warning glance that said 'sneeze and we are all dead' that made Raf gulp in understanding.   
  
The vehicle was nearly pass the vent grate, Danny continued to watch it carefully. The vehicle looked to be Smokescreen,  _dang how did he get back to the upper levels so fast?_  he thought he'd managed to throw him off their trail but now his presence said otherwise.  _Defiantly looking a bit worse for wear_ , he mused crestfallen, at this rate all that's going to be left of the bots were black hollowed, half caved in frames of an endoskeletons. After five minutes the Not-Smokescreen left, everyone exhaled a breath of relief. Green lights from Phantom's eyes scanned over them seeming to do a roll call, looking satisfied to find no one missing. It was then Jack decided to take charge "now that we are all regrouped we need to form a plan." He didn't seem to notice the slight pout on the Ghost boy's face as he mumbled something incoherent.   
  
"First things first," Jack continued shifting his injured foot into a more comfortable position looking directly at Miko "where did you get a gun?" his expression showed obvious disapproval making her scowl in annoyance "I'm borrowing it." Was the only information she gave to him as her eyes narrowed dangerously, Danny and Raf was sensing an oncoming argument. "Really? from who cause you always seem to get the definition of 'borrowing' and 'stealing' mixed up. You don't know the responsibilities of handling a-"  
  
"Oh and your  _all_ about responsibility aren't ya Jack?"   
  
"can you guys please stop?" Raf asked but his request went unheard.  
  
"Like you know the first thing about it? your just looking for your next thrill to fill that quota of yours!"   
  
"Guys." Danny tried this time.  
  
"Well at least I'm not a total jerk who thinks he can boss everyone around! maybe I should ice-blast that head of yours to get you to chill."   
  
"I'm just trying to keep everyone safe including you from your reckless behavior!"   
  
"Well stop okay? I can take care of myself and I don't need anyone else doing it for me!"  
  
"Enough!" Danny's eyes flared a vibrant green successfully shutting the bickering teenagers up. " _I_  gave it to her, she knows the responsibilities that came with it when I entrusted it to her. She told you she was borrowing it and you should've left it at that, how can you expect to work together if you don't trust what she's telling you?" when the two refused to look at each other he continued "I know its not easy getting along with someone you don't like, believe me, I've been there. But you got to look at the bigger picture here! your friends are in danger and are under the control of a technology controlling ghost who intends to take over the world! you need to put your differences aside and work together if you want to save your friends, if not this is never going to work."  
  
Jack and Miko continued to ignore one another refusing to meet the other's eye, venting in irritation not yet willing to back down and take back what was said. The tension in the air was heavy, Raf sat uncomfortably between the two just wishing Danny to turn him invisible. Finally they both relented, equally deciding to save it for another time. "The monochrome anime wannabe is right" Miko sighed a little dramatically eliciting a indignant "hey!" from Danny. "So what do we do now,  _leader?_ " Miko addressed to Jack.   
  
Jack ignored the gibe and scratched his chin in thought, "we need to know what were up against. Phantom?" Danny wanted to roll his eyes at the use of his last name but thought better of it. "Right Technus, you guys already know he's a ghost for one thing." All the deadpanned looks he received in response made him cough embarrassed "he has powers over all things electrical and technological which is why all the devices in the main room went haywire. Recently he built some neural transmitter chips and used them on the bots, throw in the added bonus of his powers into the mix which is how he was able to control them. Technus is a total motor mouth, start a conversation with him and he's spewing out his his plans for conquest leaving him temporarily distracted. I need to get him out of his upgraded robotic suit otherwise he's gonna be impossible to defeat though."   
  
"Which means we need to get back to the central room." Jack affirmed receiving a nod in confirmation. "Problem is we need to get there without being spotted, but chances are they can sense us if any of our previous encounters will prove that."   
  
"This dude here's a ghost, I'm sure he can turn us invisible." Miko pointed out nodding towards Danny whom shrugged "I can turn us invisible but its not going to be any help. Technus can sense me coming when I'm using my powers when he's this powerful, and since his ghostly influence is inside the bots right now it just makes its radius a bit better." A sudden thought came to him as his mood brighten a bit "hey Miko's been playing the game, maybe you know something that will help us."   
  
Miko's eyebrows shot up in surprise for a brief few seconds, before frowning in consideration "well first of all we are supposed to be set up in a small office or something which we weren't  _supposed_ to leave but seeing as that ghost made the bots chase us out of the central room we didn't really get much of a choice. The animatronics in the game roam the facility much like our guys are doing in the base and gradually make their way to your location, but if you spot them before they get the chance to attack you all ya gotta do is watch them a bit and they'll eventually disappear, problem is this can leave you open for attack from another animatronic-or Autobot in our case-from another angle. The game starts at midnight and ends six a.m. when you clear the level, after that the animatronics get more aggressive and more frequent but they all attack at certain times so you just need to time the counter attack right. Chica and Bonnie are the speed types- and now that I think about Smokescreen was behaving a little bit like Bonnie-Freddy's the leader, Foxy is pretty dangerous and pops up at random times and even though there's more the last character I've encountered was Balloon Boy. Apparently the reason they come after you is because they think your naked or something like that and shove you into a spare mechanical costume killing you in the process." She snapped her fingers trying to recall something oblivious to the looks of absolute horror the rest of the group wore before it came to her "video feed! we need a live video feed to track their movements."  
  
Jack frowned "from what I've seen the base doesn't have security cameras and if there any left behind from when the military used to use this place then it's somewhere in storage." Miko threw her head back and let out a small groan at this information. Raf looked downward in disappointment, something flashed across his face before his face brighten at being hit with an idea. Opening and waking up his laptop he activated a program and began typing in memorized codes with quick muscle memory "maybe not but we can make our own." The proclamation garnered everyone's attention, faces silently asking him to elaborate. "Well," Raf continued "with this program I'm creating will act as a main security feed hub, connecting to a shared signal I'm going to send out to your cellphones right about...Now." A collective ping sounded from their phones as they pulled them into view, a message appearing on the screen offering a 'Cam.viewer 1.0.' awaiting for download. Danny eyed the message circumspectly thumb hovering over the download option "after it downloads it's not going to give my phone a virus right?" Danny inquired skeptically as the others already downloaded the option without hesitation. Raf placed his phone beside him and resumed in his task "no it won't, the codes are proofread I know what I'm doing." Was all that he provided.  
  
Still a little cautionary he sighed in defeat "okay then." Tapping the 'accept' download, he'll have Tucker check his phone over when all this was over. After a few more taps Raf addressed them again "standby for device linkup." A cycling circle appeared on all their screens as they waited which didn't have to be too long right after fifteen seconds it finished. "Everyone, try moving the camera on your phone to different areas." A live video feed appeared on Raf's computer screen of the vent cover, Miko's boot, one aimed at the far end of the vent and the last one at Danny's spooky glowing orbs. "Yes it's working!" Raf cheered quietly, Miko leaned over and looked at the computer screen, grinning when she saw what the little genius accomplished and clapped him on the back "great job Raf! we got ourselves some DIY security cameras, hooyeah!" Collective shushes were directed at the enthusiastic Wrecker in training, she smiled a bit sheepishly in response "oops, sorry."    
  
Danny cleared his throat "right, back to the plan; what are we supposed to do with our phones?" despite getting the gist of the game he felt like they were missing something crucial, the way the bot's reacted compared to the animatronics didn't fit, like they were more aggressive and seemed to attack every few seconds, they weren't... He didn't know how to properly describe it but they weren't following in line with the program of the game it seemed like.   
  
Raf slipped his phone back into his pocket and grabbed the scanner resting by his side, fiddling around with it he somehow removed the back panel and began pulling out a few wires. "I was thinking once we get back to the central room we'll set them up in the nearby halls to keep an eye on things while we try to fight off Technus without the bot's forming a sneak attack leaving us unprepared, then with the camera's in place we can anticipate where they'll make their move from." Danny shot him an incredulous look "your not fighting Technus, that's my job. When I said I needed to get him out of his upgraded suit I meant I was going to be doing all the heavy hitting, you guys can help but from at a distance and only when I need it." Miko looked positively miffed at that fixing him with a glare "dude! I thought we were in this together?"   
  
"We are!" Danny strained to keep his voice to a whisper "but I won't be having anyone else getting physically involved in the fight and risk them getting hurt."   
  
"That's a lousy excuse." Miko grumbled back before Jack cut in "we know that where you come from you like doing the solo hero act but it isn't going to work this time, these are our friends, we are not just going to sit around doing nothing. You said it yourself, we need to work together to combat this."   
  
Danny was pulling at fistfuls of white hair now growing increasingly irritated. After a minute he relinquished his tight hold on his hair "fine" he said hoping to satisfy them for now, he'll deal with this problem again later. Glancing back at Raf his brows furrowed in confusion, what was he doing now? he had taken taken out the computer chip from the scanner and rewired it, seeming to run into a problem if Raf's frown said anything. "Hey" Danny greeted upon getting closer "what are you up to now?" Raf blinked up at him looking a little lost for words at the moment. "Oh! I'm-uh, just rewiring this scanner trying to get it to work again, it was meant for scanning life signals before Ratchet dropped it, but for some reason it won't scan." Danny peered closer, peering into the inner mechanism of the uncomfortably large device seeing as it was meant for much larger hands. His eyes continued to trail until they landed on a small slightly bent wire failing to connect to a circuit board. "I think I see the problem." Danny notified Raf "hold on I'm going to see if I can fix it."   
  
"Danny wait-"  
  
Too late, Danny already stuck his finger in there trying to get the bend out of the wire, unfortunately with his kind of luck his finger touched something it shouldn't had sending a small jolt of electricity to shoot up into his arm which he quickly yanked back.  
  
 _"Chhaoorrriip!"_  
  
Danny's hands quickly flew to his mouth at the unexpected noise like he said a swear word, small barely visible sound waves escaped before suddenly being blocked off. Everyone stared at him with wide eyed expressions. "What was  _that_?" Jack questioned slowly, Danny looked to him revealing a wide eyed look of his own "I-I don't know... That never happened before." Miko was staring at him looking awed "that. Was.  _Adorable_. You sounded like a mama cheetah calling out for her cubs only with a slight rumble! can you do it again?"   
  
Danny could already feel the heat beginning to rise in his cheeks "what? that wasn't cute, it was-" suddenly he trailed off, looking off distantly at something that wasn't seen tilting his head slightly. Miko waved a hand in front of his unresponsive face "hello? you still with us?" after snapping her fingers he seemed to come out of his trance. "Sorry, what were you saying?" he asked. The three humans exchanged worried glances before looking back in his direction "what happened? you kinda zoned out on us for a moment there." Jack inquired. Danny swept his bangs from out of his face stalling for time to formulate a sentence "I don't know, it was like I just started seeing something that wasn't there. Like a sorta vision but it was pretty blurry."   
  
Raf frowned contemplating, this sounded very familiar. His eyes opened a fraction, no that couldn't be it, could it? there was only one way to find out. "Do you think you can stick your finger back in here again?" Raf asked. The Ghost Boy looked very bemused at the weird request  "you want me to stick my finger back in there... To get shocked again?" Raf shook his head "no, I have a theory" he responded quickly "please it would only take a second."  
  
Danny eyed the device with foreboding before looking at Raf's pleading brown eyes. Danny lost his will, with a weary sigh he relented, sticking his finger back into the same place as before in the scanner. The expectant zap returned bringing out the weird sound his vocals were able to make.   
  
" _Chhaaaoorrrip!"_  
  
After the sonic waves left his mouth Danny ducked his head down in embarrassment feeling warmth in his cheeks for making that degrading sound. He was never going to live this down if word got out about it. The returning ping entered his mind as an image began to form. It was the central room to the base, the place they wanted to be, and it was just a few turns in the air vent away. Danny snapped back into reality "I just saw a way into the main room." he whispered in disbelief "but that's impossible! it's not like I left to scope the place out." Miko shrugged "maybe its a ghost thing."   
  
"That," Raf began "or a form of  _echolocation_. When Danny stuck his finger inside of the scanner he must have touched it's main components, his ghost energy crossed transference with the scanners electromagnet and used his vocals as an output, the result creating a sonic wave pulsed through the area before bouncing back to its originated source, like bats or whales for example. So by using the scanner, Danny can perform echolocation."   
  
Miko perked up leaning forward on her fist "that is so cool!" Jack nodded in agreement "you could probably check for the bots being in the area too." He pointed out. Danny had gone quiet; maybe they had said something wrong or perhaps this new found development was freaking him out? but they didn't have to ponder it too long when Danny wore a telltale smirk answering " _or_ , you might call it  _ecto_ -location." The obvious joke hoping to gain a few laughs only reined in silence "get it? cause ghosts are made out of ectoplasm? so I replaced the  _echo_ with  _ecto_ in echolocation?  _anybody?_ " trying further but still had the same result "aw, you guys are no fun."   
  
Gathering up their things they made to move again, Danny taking point holding the scanner in hand for if he needed to perform another sweep, Raf behind him holding his laptop trying to adjust the camera settings, Jack held the flashlight, glowstick and everyone's cellphones and Miko took up rear, ice pistol drawn and ready to fire if needed. After a few minutes of silent walking Danny came to a halt, frozen to the spot when something came to him.   
  
"Aw  _shish-kabob_."   
  
Jack looked up ahead but didn't see anything to warrant that kind of response out of their ghostly guide, "what is it?"   
  
"They're in the vents."  
  
Childish laughter echoed somewhere behind them. " _ **Hello**_ " the voice continued, Miko began shoving everyone forward trying to get everyone to pick up the pace "scrap! that sounded like Balloon Boy!" no one liked the sound of this 'Balloon Boy' especially not with the way it was giggling, like it knew something they didn't, it was up to something. The mischievous in it's voice was not masked from the feigned tone of innocence, you could hear it as clear as day. Something was telling them to look behind them, just knowing something was there but not wanting to confirm it. Nonetheless they looked, surprised to find nothing there. When they turned around to continue their journey, there at the end of the vent shaft blue optics glowed brightly against the contrast of the darkness.  _ **"Hi."  
**_

 

_Cue the screams of "scrap!" or "crud!" from the group of teenagers. There was two ways out of this, either take the vent that took a left but stood at an equal distance between them and this 'Balloon Boy' wannabe but risk being attacked by the bot waiting for them, or backtrack the way they came losing progress to putting an end to this. "Were gonna have to chance it." Jack whispered to them, Raf was hesitant, Miko looked ready to leap into action already and Danny looked ready to blast something but offered a nod in agreement. The stare down between them and their shady enemy was unrelenting, neither wanting to make a move in case something backfired, that was until Danny decided to make a move firing at ice blast he managed to freeze one of it's limbs to the bottom paneling, the bot jerked letting out a slight squeal at being stuck. "Go go go!" Danny shouted urging them forward, the trio didn't need to be told twice running for the exit tunnel. The bot let out an angry screech at seeing its quarry getting away, struggling more fiercely against its restraints, fractures began to appear in the ice with every thrash, Danny could hear the ice splintering from the brute force. Thinking quickly Danny poured ice out onto the ground creating a sleet pathway to where they were heading much to everyone's surprise as they slipped on it, due to their accelerated movement sent them sliding across the icy pathway following where the sleet trail headed, gravity propelling them forward. They would've probably taken in how fun this actually was seeing as they were sort of bobsledding if they weren't so terrified of their situation.  
  
The bot let out a static filled snarl as the ice holding it in place shattered, setting the possessed monstrosity free bounding towards them at a startling speed. Danny quickly curved the ice flow as they neared the turn; making subtle changes here and there when it looked like one of them was going to slip out of the bank. A shadow of a hand swiped at them one to miss and crack the ice they'd already slid across. An uncovered vent leading out into the open greeted them as they launched out of it and would've crashed to the ground if Danny hadn't quickly created an ectoplasmic bowl landing in it safely as he lowered them to the ground. Danny glanced about uncertain about which direction they should take, "ah screw it" sticking his finger into the back panel of the scanner again producing what looked like the downplayed version of his Ghostly Wail out of his mouth aiming towards their right. The image of the main entrance entered his mind as the sound bounced back gratification easing into him a bit for nailing the direction down on the first try.   
  
"Come on we need to head this way!" notifying his substitute team whom were already getting back to their feet. A mighty thud sounded beside them as the bot landed somewhere near automatically making them freeze up. Powering up a large ectoblast to see what they were up against. Bits of faded yellow armor could be seen among the horrifying endoskeleton instantly becoming recognizable making his mouth drop. "Bumblebee? wha-hey!" to Danny's surprise the not-Bumblebee tried to snatch the scanner from his hands, starting a tug-a-war between the two; hearing Miko behind him commenting "Bee got the Balloon Boy coding? huh, I'm disappointed in myself for not pegging it to him sooner." Danny glowered at Bee still trying to yank it back "you scared the crud out of us just so you can steal our stuff? dude you need to get your agenda's straight!" Turning the scanner intangible he yanked it back with a shrewd smirk of victory only to be short lived when Bee snatched him up in a fluid motion and before Danny could even react, shoved him into his exposed mouth, chopping down with a sickening ' _crunch_ ' making the Ghost boy disperse into mist, scanner clattering forgotten on the floor.  
  
Audible gasps of horror pierced the sudden quiet, staring at the frozen scene with sickening terror making their hearts pound in fright yelling at them to 'run'. "Oh my freaking gosh," Miko breathed out with wide eyes "Bumblebee just  _ate_ Danny!" Everything was becoming too much, Raf was at his breaking point tears threatening to spill from his eyes and trying to hold back a sob.  _Bumblebee wouldn't do this... Why would he?..How..? Bee never would've done something so gruesome, never..._  But the scene replayed over and over again in his mind, Danny not even having the time to scream since Bumblebee did it so fast, no remorse on an expressionless face.  Jack kept the flashlight directed on the bot wanting to keep him within their sights, Miko brought the ice pistol in front of her threateningly aiming directly at Bee, her arm shook slightly as she took deep breaths trying to calm her racing heart. "Come any closer and I blast ya into a glacier!" Miko warned as her voice rose in pitch out of fear.  
  
But Bumblebee hadn't moved from his spot, his optics had shut down leaving them pitch black and lifeless. A moment passed before Bumblebee's frame shuddered, bright green goop appeared on his body before slinking off onto the ground and disappearing, leaving him looking like his regular self with nothing missing from his armor, whatever was on him had cast an illusion on his body making him appear to be deteriorating. Raf felt numb, hesitantly calling out to his guardian "Bee?" another shudder raked his frame before familiar blue optics onlined warbling a groan holding a servo to his helm, looking around his eyes landed on Raf, both tensing immediately when their eyes met. Bee pulled his arms close to his chassis as his doorwings lowered pitifully backing away from his ward, Jack and Miko sensing their fear coming off of them in waves, noting the absence of a certain ghost. Bumblebee's tanks churned at the thought, not wanting to ask the dreaded question but he needed to know what happened.  **"D-did I hurt anyone?"**  he whimpered quietly not entirely meeting Raf's eye. Raf felt slightly relieved when he heard his friend's voice again, but he couldn't find the heart to tell Bee the truth, he already looked ashamed how it is even when he didn't know what he's done.  
  
"Yo, I found the virus Technus had implanted inside of Bee's head and got rid of it, he should be back to normal now." Danny called out to them suddenly popping into existence dusting the broken bits of the neural chip off his hands making everyone jump back at his sudden presence looking ready to scream. Danny blinked at them "what? you look like you've seen a ghost." Chuckling a bit at the coincidental pun.   
  
"You were dead!" Jack exclaimed making Danny snort followed up with a roll of his eyes "nothing new there seeing as I'm already dead."  
  
"Then what happened when Bee swallowed you whole then, huh?" Miko pointed out not noticing the distressed whimper Bumblebee made upon hearing that. Danny arched an eyebrow "oh that? I just did a form of overshadowing and slipped into his mind to find the plug on Technus' operation he had running in there, got rid of it and came back out not wanting to overstay my welcome. Speaking of which" Danny turned to face Bumblebee, stunned to see him shuddering backing away from the rest of them, now he was worried. Flying to his side Danny touched Bee's shoulder as a sign of comfort but Bee jerked away from the touch, when Danny looked into his optics he saw regret, guilt and sadness, not only that but he was afraid, afraid of himself to suddenly lash out. His optics whirred as coolant began to gather. Danny motioned for Raf to come over as he tried to maintain eye contact with Bumblebee which was hard as he kept looking away. Danny chewed his lip trying to think on how he should approach the matter, cause darn it, how do you comfort a giant alien robot? any movement he made felt awkward and didn't even know where to begin, he wasn't the best at comforting someone his forte was fighting and coming up with puns on the fly, not emotional support since he had a great deal of problems of his own.   
 _  
Suck it up Fenton, Bumblebee needs you right now, so just try and hope for the best._  "Hey," Danny called out softly, mood becoming solemn "what's wrong?" Bee's fist clenched tighter against his arm plating, sitting down he brought his knees up leaning his face into them, doorwings pressing against his back making him look smaller. Raf walked up to him and patted his leg alerting him of his presence "please Bee?" Bumblebee shivered.  **"I let it happen again."**  He finally replied to them. Danny and Raf exchanged a glance before Danny asked "let what happen?"  
  
 **"I let myself be controlled again after I vowed to never let it happen again!"**  Bee cried  **"I couldn't stop Megatron, and I didn't stop Technus. They both locked me away into that dark abyss that I couldn't find a way out of. I kept trying but it wasn't enough."** Bee's fists clenched tighter, fingers digging deeper into the plating that would surely leave dents but he didn't care.  **"I'm a failure to everyone."**  So many questions were racing in Danny's mind, but the prominent one being of the fact Megatron somehow managed to control him and made him do something that Bumblebee couldn't forgive himself for. But he couldn't ponder this further; perhaps later, Bumblebee needed him now in the present and not focusing on his past.   
  
"Come on Bee," Raf sighed "you are not a failure; nor useless for that matter. So don't be so hard on yourself since everyone else got corrupted too, if there was a way to have escaped Technus' control you and the others would've done so by now." Bumblebee wasn't entirely listening to what Raf was saying, looking the other way, Danny appeared in his line of sight not even a moment after "Raf's right" Danny pointed out "there was nothing you could've done. Someone once said to me that failure is when you don't even try, don't even try to do the right thing because it's too much work, that someone one was  _you_. You  _tried_ , Bee. You tried your best and that's all that matters, take your own advice." Bumblebee stood up angrily, glowering at the floor optics whirring inward out of frustration **"yeah? well I also said to learn from your mistakes, I obviously didn't. I had the most experience about being controlled when the others don't, I should've done something more!"**  
  
"I know you feel guilty about this but there was nothing more you could've done! I saw the transmitter chip, it was keeping you trapped inside your head."  
  
Bumblebee whirled on Danny, tired of hearing things he didn't want to hear  **"I should've tried harder! you realize how much he's taken away from us?! all the problems he caused?! if it wasn't for me Megatron wouldn't even be alive!"** The outburst made Raf flinch, Jack and Miko stood off to the side unable to understand what the scout was going on about but catching the gist of it, seeing the scout grow more distressed with every warble. **"How can you hope to understand what I'm going though?"**  Danny gaze went downcast. This was why he was so upset, Megatron apparently was the equivalent to Vlad and Pariah Dark fused into one; perhaps worse, had started this war they were fighting back on their home planet and had been screwing with them ever since. He had caused a great deal of pain and suffering to the Autobot faction, Bumblebee being just one of many that were affected from the warlord's actions. From what Danny was guessing Bee had been presented with the chance to end Megatron's existence, to end all the suffering he'd brought into the world though, never was able to fall through on it but why he didn't Danny was uncertain for he was missing the pieces to this massive puzzle, and now with this Technus fiasco it was bringing back the memories, making him relive the nightmare over.   
  
"I understand what your going through, more than you know." Danny said, voice nearing a whisper and before Bumblebee could ask Danny continued "remember on the first day I came to base I mentioned mind control? well, a circus had came to Amity Park awhile back; Circus Gothica. The ringleader, Freakshow had this crystal ball staff that he used to control the ghosts that were in his circus, I caught a glance of that thing and fell under its spell and Freakshow didn't hesitate to use me as one of his pawns. Freakshow made me do things I'm not proud of; he made me rob places for him and nearly made me injure one of my friends, twice." Pausing to allow it to sink a bit hoping it would get through to the scout."I know it's probably nothing compared to whatever Megatron has put you through but I want to let you know I understand what it feels like to not be in control of your actions, to be powerless, to be someones puppet; the guilt you feel afterwards. Heck, I was still hung up over the incident months after it happened, news reporters would question my true motives after that making me feel worse. But after awhile my friends convinced me it wasn't my fault which it wasn't, I never would've done those things in my life at least not intentionally, you wouldn't have either. So stop blaming yourself, this is Megatron's fault and sooner or later he's going to get what's coming to him, you don't need to feel guilty over something that was out of your control."  
  
Bumblebee stood in silence optics downcast, contemplating what he'd said. With some relief Danny saw Bumblebee stop digging his fingers into his arm plating becoming lax, a sign that he no longer thought that he would unintentionally harm any of them making soft unintelligible clicks. Bumblebee lifted his helm meeting his eyes, looking a lot more composed now and gave an accepting nod  **"your probably right."** Danny smiled warmly as Raf concurred "of course he's right Bee" a small smile etching onto his face from seeing his friend's mood returning to normal. Miko coughed to get their attention "now that you guys bonded and all that mushiness, we got to still stop Technus remember?" despite the slightly rude interruption, she was right. Technus was probably halfway through decoding through the base's defenses and who knew if there was going to be lingering damage to the rest of the Autobots the longer those chips were inside of their heads. They murmured in agreement at that walking back to rejoin Jack and Miko. When Raf was out of ear shot Danny leaned in close to Bumblebee's audial "hey if you ever want to talk about it, I'm willing to listen." He whispered. Bumblebee cocked his head to the side, gratitude glowed in soft blue at the offer nodding politely that said he'll consider it.   
  
A green wall appeared as soon as Danny floated forward, sealing Bumblebee off on the otherside. Danny whipped around catching the flash of green illuminate the walls, everyone's expressions mirroring confusion "what the..." Danny started only to be cut off as a voice echoed throughout the small space _"congrats to making it to your third hour of living children, Phantom."_ Technus greeted, throwing in Danny's last name as an afterthought seeming a bit annoyed _"though how long that is still going to remain a fact remains to be seen. I've seen you taken the mind chip out of my machine by overshadowing it, however you shall not be able to pull the same stunt again on the others. You can try but lets just say the results will be_ shocking _."_ Bumblebee bristled at the claim of ownership over him as Technus cackled out of delight for the riddle he given which could mean anything. "Bumblebee is not anyone's to claim!" Raf shouted at the disembodied voice growing defensive over his friend for someone to speak about him in such a way before running over trying to push his way through the shimmering shield.  
  
 _"That's what this machine's name is? I just resorted to calling it 'Beeper'."_  
  
Bumblebee's body shook with unsuppressed rage, balling his fist he punched at the shield in an attempt to break it, the sound of his fists assaulting it reverberated across the wall but nothing more.  _"Oh you think your getting off that easy?"_  he addressed to the scout, Bee paused to search for where the voice was coming from, glaring at the unseen source. It was unsettling that Technus could hear and see where everyone was and yet they couldn't see where he was viewing them from. "Bumblebee, take the other hallway and meet up with us in the main room." Jack called out, Bumblebee looked hesitant, not comfortable leaving them alone again, but nodded nonetheless. Raf smiled strainfully placing a palm against the divider separating them "we'll find each other again" he said to not only reassure his friend but himself as well.  
  
Bright blue lights appeared behind Bumblebee causing Danny to gasp startled "Bumblebee! behind you!" he shouted, so that's how Technus was doing it, he had someone spying on them from the shadows, Danny pounded against the barrier just wanting to pull him through to safety "get out of here Bee!" Bumblebee glanced back and forth conflicted **"I can't leave you guys!"**  steadily the lights grew closer and closer, sparks flew from the walls as it dragged clawed servos against them. Raf was growing desperate "please Bumblebee just go!" he begged, a wide grin was seen now grinding it's teeth together with a high pitched _'clink'_. "We'll be alright."   
  
Sadly he warbled lowly in concession, with a farewell nod Bumblebee ran towards the bot, looking to meet it head on until the last second he ducked into another hall entrance disappearing from view. The blue optics faded away as they gave chase after the yellow Autobot. They stood there for a few tense seconds finding it hard to move, a lump forming in their throats as the sound of screeching could be heard growing distant, no one dared to ask if they thought he'd made it.  
  
"Come on," Jack motioned them to follow "were almost there now." The group reluctantly followed, the weight of the situation bearing down on their shoulders seemed heavier heading to face off with the ghost behind this.  
  
Raf paused for a brief moment glancing behind him with sad eyes, whispering to the ever present darkness as a silent prayer for his guardian. "Stay safe."  
  
  
 ** _~~~~~~_**  
  
A gentel breeze stirred past them smelling of a crisp chill with a tinge of dust, the quiet seemed deafening for not even a conversation took place. the group's - Phantom aside- legs trembled whether it being from running pass their limits or from fear was uncertain, deciding it was probably from both.   
  
A green sheen radiated on the flat surfaces just as the foyer came into view. Miko eyed the room from where she stood, green emergency lights flickered signalling the power outage that needed to be dealt with illuminating the abandoned sparking cables that once held the Autobots captive, aside from that nothing really stood out to be an immediate threat. Deeming it safe to pass they walked through eyeing every dark space skeptically, a dull thud echoed behind them instantly whipping around to face where the sound came from.   
  
Danny sat on his rear rubbing at his face looking slightly pained, like he had just floated right into a wall. "Dude you okay?" Miko questioned bemused at Phantom's sudden in-cognizant state "what did you even walk into?" Jack looked to be thinking the same thing for he was checking the doorway for anything out of place. Standing up with a grunt Danny stuck his hand out towards them only to be stopped, green shimmered beneath his finger tips making the unseen force come into view, annoyance crossed his features as he tapped against it "ghost shield" he muttered. Jack arched an eyebrow "wait, if this is a ghost shield then how come we couldn't pass through the one that was blocking us from Bumblebee but can pass through this one while you can't?"   
  
Danny was trying to find answers for that himself until it struck him, the ghost shield his parents built had gone missing and neither of them could find where it disappeared to, but now he knew exactly where it was. "Because its an artificial ghost shield, it will allow humans through but not ghosts" he said "the one Technus was using earlier is the real deal. Do you guys see any box looking devices anywhere?"   
  
After a minute of searching Raf piped up "there's one on the ceiling near the rafters." He informed him making Danny want to throw his head back and groan,  _figures, he put's it out of reach so no one can get to it._  "There's noway you guys are going to be able to take it out. Look I'm going to go find another way in so just sit tight." This way he be able to go human and pass through easily "Raf, your good with computers right?" receiving a nod Danny continued "I need you to try to hack through the firewalls Technus put up so I can get in there and whoop his butt, think you can do that for me?" Raf stood straighter nodding with a confident smile.  
  
"I don't need to try, I know I can"  
  
Danny smirked at the sudden positivity, "great. Jack pass me the phones, I'll set them up when I leave, keep lookout." After Jack handed him the phones he turned to address their third member "Miko, you still got that pistol?" said person let out a scoff before showcasing the weapon "like you need to ask."   
  
"good, your on defense; if anyone tries to attack don't hold back. Since you know the most about this game make sure everyone knows what they're doing. There's one thing I gotta ask, is there any way to change the settings of the game?" he asked "Eh unless your talking about the custom level then yeah." She replied with a shrug making Danny deflate a little as he sighed "I was afraid of that." Jack frowned "why what's wrong?"   
  
"the rules of the game no longer apply, your playing at Technus' rules now which means that anything can happen so you need to be on your toes. The guy can be a total jerk." Danny grumbled "for now, everyone just try to stay alive till I get back, look both ways before you cross the street, don't do drugs, stay in school and all that good super hero advice." With a melodramatic salute he vanished, literary and figuratively as he flew back the way they had came.    
  
Coming to a stop he shot a bit of ecto goop on the wall and set one of the phones there before continuing in his flight. Danny planned to go back into the airvent like before to get into the central room that way, become human for a bit to get pass the barrier and go ghost just as quickly, and if anyone questioned him he'll say the ghost shield was only blocking that entrance or something.   
  
Him making stops to set the cameras up finally ceased as he placed the third one up having dove into the floor and placing one down in the pipeline, he'll place the last one in one of the airvents. Blue icy rings passed over his head transforming him back into Fenton just as his feet touched the floor. Danny suddenly felt weird, he never been inside the base in his human form and now everything seemed oddly big. Being in ghost form was like having a confidence booster, knowing the power that lied beneath your finger tips to easily defend yourself tended to do that, his ghost core's energy would become more prominent at the center of his chest and that was enough to make anyone feel a bit cocky. But now he was human again, shy little Danny Fenton who couldn't even defend himself from the bullies at school, or at least in everyone else's eyes.  
  
Even though he's a little shy at times his demeanor could instantly switch from timid to throwing you into a wall if provoked.  
  
Danny walked on, shoving his hands and phone into faded blue jeans searching the halls for the air duct they came from earlier, soft turquoise-green lights lit his path. He knew it was around here somewhere for the place wasn't  _that_ big, maybe it was around this corner-  
  
"Oh crud" Danny whispered eyes wide as dinner plates feeling his blood run cold, Bumblebee stood in front of him with his weapon drawn and pointed at him. Danny quickly raised his hands in surrender blinking the glow from his eyes hopefully before the Autobot noticed. Surprise appeared on Bee's face for his sudden appearance, buzzing questionably at him. Now this situation would be fine if he was still in ghost form and hadn't decided now was the right time to switch back to human, maybe he could play this off.  _Yeah, I can do this just think...S_ ** _wag_** _._  
  
"Oh wow! um... a giant robot! this is sooo cool! and it's not going to hurt me because it's uh...it's... _Cute?_ " Danny offered with a shrug, smiling ostentatiously for good measure but even he wasn't impressed by the display and neither was Bumblebee.  _Passed with flying colors, note the sarcasm._  Bumblebee's optics trailed over him in a scrutinizing manner, he felt sweat beginning to run down his face as the inspection continued. Recognition continuously crossed his face for a brief moment of time before returning to reconsidering, fortunately during this time his weapons lowered, if he had shot at him though Danny doubted he would, Danny would've gone intangible to avoid the detonation but consequently revealing himself. Maybe this could still work, maybe he'd think he was Jack or something; they looked sorta alike unless Bee took notice of the obvious height difference and change of clothes. Or perhaps he'd think that some random kid had somehow managed to sneak into their base without them noticing.  
  
 **"Danny?"**  
  
He was so screwed.  
  
 ** _~~~~~~TFP~~~~~~_**  
  
  
Jack gripped the flashlight tighter pacing the perimeter ignoring the pain that would shoot up into his foot, sweat dripped down his back growing more tense preparing himself for an attack. He aimed it at the entrance leading to the pipeline glancing about for anything lurking in the darkness. A sense of relief flowed over him for finding nothing there. "Danny has three cameras online." Raf announced alerting them of their progress before going back to work.   
  
Miko twirled the pistol between her fingers looking about idly, "he doesn't waste time does he?" she thought out loud pursing her lips as she glanced over Raf's shoulder "wonder how long its going to take for him to get back here so we can kick some butt already." Raf shrugged in response "don't know, but maybe he met up with Bumblebee" he stated hopefully.   
  
Jack smiled sadly at Raf's forced optimism though none of them saw it. They had already compiled a list of everyone they'd encountered so far and Arcee's name was missing from the rollcall, worrying and frightening him at the same time. Worried for Technus might of done something to her after Smokescreen's words of advice and might be keeping her locked up somewhere, and frightened for she was stealthy; she could sneak into a room without you noticing and was quick about it, making her all the more deadly like a prowling snake. Jack shifted the flashlight towards the ceiling near the rafters, straining his eyes as the shadows moved along with the light looking for anything.   
  
Nothing.  
  
Jack gave a weary sigh dragging a hand down his perspiring face, he couldn't believe how stressed the situation made him, Decepticons? sure that was something to naturally stress out over seeing as their moto is to either kill on sight or bring in for questioning followed by painful torture as they held you prisoner. The Autobots? his mind still couldn't wrap around the fact that they had gone to the dark side at the moment and kept forgetting that it was the bots hunting them and not some foreign enemy like scraplets. Jack couldn't count how many times he turned around to address his guardian to be temporarily confused before reality reared its big ugly head into his gut.   
  
Whatever doesn't kill you makes you stronger he supposed, if he could just look pass the fact that the bots were trying to kill them- in the graphic way Miko described which made him want to vomit- and pretend this was a training exercise Arcee had set up then he might be able to push his fear aside.   
  
"wait, pull up camera two Raf I think I see something." Miko requested, pausing in his work Raf did what he was asked, clicking on the second tab to enlarge the video feed. What they saw made them jump instantly catching Jack's attention. "Is tha-at Ratchet?" Raf squeaked staring horrified at the homicidal denta wide grin filling the screen. "Ew I think he got something in his teeth." Miko pointed out with a frown, Jack hobbled over to get a better look and grimaced, turning to face her "Miko! is there anything we can do to get rid of him?!" Jack whispered harshly as he felt his heart beginning to race. Miko nodded "we just need to keep an eye on the camera and that door" she pointed out "keep the flashlight on him for a few minutes and he will leave...Hopefully."  
  
"What do you mean 'hopefully'?"   
  
"well you heard what Danny said, the rules of FNAF might not apply anymore so I dunno if it's entirely going to work Jack." Miko responded folding her arms across her chest "I still got the gun so we're not entirely defenseless either."   
  
"Uh guys?" Raf called "Ratchet's gone"  
  
"well scrap." Miko muttered bringing the pistol up and ran towards the entry way, Jack trailing behind her pointing the flashlight into the gloom, and sure enough, there was corrupt-Ratchet snarling a heavy breath as the light caught the side of his face. Jack gulped uneasily keeping the light source steady in trembling hands, the way corrupt-Ratchet stared at him unnerved him to say the least and it wasn't helping matters that the memory of the corrupted bot chasing him with a cannibalistic fury was still fresh in his mind. A minute passed and Jack grew antsy "why isn't he leaving?" he whispered through clenched teeth to Miko whom twitched her finger against the trigger reflexively, licking her chapped lips before responding. "I don't have all the answers, yeesh." And if they thought corrupt-Ratchet was the worse of their problems at the moment-  
  
"Bulkhead's coming in through the pipeline!"   
  
Jack felt a shiver of fear run down his spine as Miko flat out abandoned him leaving him defenseless against corrupt-Ratchet, running off towards the basement entrance she called out over her shoulder "I got it covered!" out of the corner of his eye he saw the glowstick he had given her earlier within her other hand as she came to a stop. Gripping both ends tightly in both hands she brought it down over her knee, a nice  _snap_  rang out when it broke in half at the force. Yellow splatters stained her hands and clothing before she chucked it into the corridor covering it in glowing splotches giving enough of light source to see anyone coming, clattering to a roll no longer in use. Just in time too, for corrupt-Bulkhead came around the corner staggering at a surprising speed, nonetheless she fell into an easy stance preparing for the recoil of the blast. "I don't wanna do this to you Bulk," she admitted, grip tightening and eyes locking onto her target "but your leaving me no other choice." Her words fell on deaf audio receptors, still coming towards her like a savage dog just wanting to sink it's teeth into it's prey, energon dripped like a stream from his slacken jaw. For a breathtaking second she hesitated; not having the heart to shoot her friend. But it needed to be done before her lack of action was regretted on both accounts.   
  
A sharp  _ping_ sang through the air, a stream of blue light burst from the barrel of the gun creating a giant wall of ice crystals and a rush of chilly air rushing pass her. Blinking open her eyes she sighed in relief as she saw Bulkhead's access to them had been sealed off with a thick blockade of ice, corrupt-Bulkhead stood still, momentarily confused at the sudden change in events. Curiously it pawed at the wall before drawing the cluster of a servo back hissing in irritation before disappearing from sight. "Got it taken care of!" she called running back towards them.  
  
"Great, can you do whatever you did to get rid of him over here cause he still won't leave." Jack called back eyes not leaving corrupt-Ratchet whom twitched in anticipation. Miko skidded to a halt bouncing to her feet to re-right herself, aiming the gun towards the current threat. "No problem, just one one blast should block him off."  
  
Raf looked up from his hacking to see what they were talking about before his eyes went wide "No!" he shouted to Miko "you can't block off that entrance, Bumblebee still needs a way of getting in here."   
  
"Well we can't be having Ratchet shoving us into spare robot parts either so we need to make a choice here!" she shouted over her shoulder fingers twitching in anticipation.  
  
A crash sounded somewhere behind them making Miko and Raf whip their heads towards it seeing as Jack needed to maintain eye contact, just below an open vent grate boxes toppled over from the sudden disturbance burying whoever fell on them. A faint flash of light was sighted from underneath before vanishing, the boxes shifted before a head of unruly white hair stuck out revealing it to be the friendly Phantom. "Well you can forget about that, he's no longer coming." Danny answered firing a warning ectoblast to scare Ratchet off.   
  
  
 ** _~~~~~~DP~~~~~~  
  
_**  
Bumblebee was nearly to the foyer, after a few more turns he'd be there. That is, until his audials picked up someone coming around the corner. Out of reflex his Twin barreled blaster was drawn and pointed just as the source came around the corner, the person was not what he was expecting.  
  
 _What the slag?_  
  
A young teen stood with his hands brought up to show he was unarmed, at a quick glance he could've been mistaken for Jack if one wasn't paying attention but this was not the case with Bumblebee, examining the boy closely. Jet black hair, icy blue eyes, thin frame and small in size. His scanners in his internal hub picked up a life signal so this wasn't an illusion. The teenager smiled nervously "Oh wow! um... a giant robot! this is sooo cool! and it's not going to hurt me because it's uh...it's... _Cute?_ " shrugging his shoulders uncertainly.  _That voice_. Bumblebee heard it before, somewhere yet he couldn't place it, not yet at least. Bumblebee suddenly realized his weapons were still aimed at the teen which probably wasn't helping to make him feel any less nervous.   
  
This teenager's sudden appearance made no sense, he couldn't have possibly snuck into base without them noticing and as much as he hated to admit it would've been easy prey by now and killed off by his controlled teammates. So how? he defiantly wasn't Jack, Miko, Raf or Phantom... A thought suddenly came to him.  _It couldn't be... Could it? no, Danny is a ghost so that should mean he's dead._ Bee reasoned,  _but is he really? the concept of ghosts may have a different meaning then what we believe them to be. But how can this be? he looked entirely different earlier and last time Ratchet checked he didn't have a heartbeat but some type of energy source at his center._ All these thoughts were so confusing, wishing he could just talk to someone about this, preferably Ratchet seeing as this was in his area of expertise. Bumblebee wanted answers and the only way he was going to get them was to question the teenager.  _Here goes nothing_ , vents letting out a puff of air he said  **"Danny?"**  not expecting to get a reaction but the result was instantaneous.   
  
Bullets of sweat ran down his face lips pursing into a tight line. Danny couldn't believe how fast the bot had put it together but he wasn't ready to confirm the other's suspicions, the best course of action was to deny any claims until he couldn't deny no longer, Danny refused to have his secret be blown, not now, not until he was certain he can entrust him with something like this. " _Whaaaat?_  who's Danny? I'm uh, I'm... Sam."  
  
Danny's heart pounded in his ears from growing dread cause, _oh my freaking gosh someone else knows my secret, how could I had let this happen? how is Bumblebee going to take this? will it be good? bad? I am such an idiot! Bumblebee's going to tell everyone on his team who turns out works for the government. Oh no! the government! this is bad, bad, bad super bad! the Guys in White will be on my case in a instant wanting to bring me in for experiments saying I'm a threat to the world that needs to be dealt with like in every gore film Sam had me and Tucker watch. What if they bring in my parents to conduct the experiments? they wouldn't waste the chance to rip me apart molecule by molecule. Oh my gosh, I can't breathe, I don't think I'm breathing anymore there's not enough air in my lungs why can't I breathe!?_ He forgot that Bumblebee was still standing there until he felt a finger stroke his back bringing him back to reality.  **"Sam, breathe."**  Bumblebee instructed gently, Danny looked up at him feeling slightly irritated,  _what do you think I'm trying to do? puke out a hairball?_ despite the retort on the tip of his tongue he held it in, nonetheless Danny appreciated the effort that Bumblebee was making to quell his panic.  
  
 **"Take a breath and hold it,"**  Bumblebee continued to instruct, a shuddering gasp escaped his lips as he followed the command as Bumblebee nodded encouragingly.  **"Great, now I'm going to count to five and then I want you to release it, got it?** " receiving a nod in confirmation Bumblebee began to count. **"One...Two...Three...Four...Five and release, good. Now breathe in and hold it until I count to five."**  The process repeated with shivery exhales and inhales until Danny found himself breathing more smoothly, he couldn't believe that he had a panic attack, he'd only had about four since getting ghost-powers and only under a great deal of stress, mostly when trying to get projects and homework done a day before it was due and were going to affect a big part of his grades; not that they weren't already in the toilet. "Thanks for that." Danny said gratefully feeling the tension beginning to leave his shoulders, Bumblebee shrugged buzzing and chirruping a **"no problem"**  waving off the thank-you like it was nothing, that made the corners of his mouth twitch upwards.  
  
But just as quickly it ceased as Danny's shoulders sagged in defeat. He was so bad at this, being able to keep things from people especially those who've taken the time to get to know him, Danny could not find it in himself to lie to another person; it was time to come clean. "You've got me," Danny wiped a hand down his face "my name's not Sam it's Danny."  
  
That gave Bee pause for a minute, not saying a word thinking this information over and choosing what he wanted to say next.  **"What are you?"**  Danny scuffed his shoes against the ground childishly before responding "a Halfa, I guess since that's what the other ghosts call me."  **"But your human."**  Bumblebee stated earning a nod  **"I thought you were like a dead person?"**  Danny scratched his neck sheepishly "I'm both actually."  
  
Bumblebee appeared to be frowning in contemplation  **"how? were your parents, like one a ghost and one human?"**  Danny frowned oddly "what? no. Look I'll explain everything later, now's not the right time to be explaining my lifestory right now seeing as Technus is still on the loose, but can you  _please_ , keep this to yourself for now and not tell anybody?" Bumblebee looked uncertain, like he thought Danny was plotting some alternative motive to leave and never return as soon as he got the chance, which admittedly, didn't sound so bad to Danny. Finally Bumblebee sighed,  **"you promise?"**   _ah, so he found one of my weaknesses,_ he mused _._ Danny crossed two fingers over the center of his chest and raised them "scout's honor."   
  
 ** _"Aw isn't this just touching?"_**  Technus' nasally voice chimed in tauntingly. Danny clicked his tongue "told ya." Technus ignored him continuing with his monologue  **"sorry to break up this little reunion but I believe this belongs to me."** Before they could react, a sparking tentacle sprang from the shadows like a silver serpent connecting to the back of Bumblebee's helm sending it's electrical current through the poor bot's head eliciting a high pitched wail to leave his damaged vocalizer making him fall forward "Bee!" Danny shouted. The lightning dancing across his frame continued, flashes of white electricity burned at Danny's retinas having to look away until it ended. Danny glanced about with his spotty vision for Technus or for one of his cronies, nothing but darkness greeted him at every turn, he couldn't even find where the sparking cable disappeared to. If Technus just left Bumblebee here then that must mean he placed another chip inside the scout's head again. Climbing up onto the bot's frame until he stood just behind Bumblebee's head readying a hand to reach in and pull it out "no problem, I'll just reach in and- _yow!_ " Danny hissed painfully shaking the sharp surge of electricity that shot up into his hand out, feeling his muscles spasm at the unexpected assault. A mocking laugh echoed around him distantly, it defiantly belonged to Technus.   
  
Bumblebee will be up and running in a minute to murder him.  _Great. Should've known it wasn't going to be that simple and that Technus wasn't bluffing, I need to just get back to everyone else._ He took off into a sprint heading into the direction he was heading into before, not long after that he found what he was looking for. Shimmying back inside the vent once he'd jumped up and snagged the edge, he set up the last phone (having it facing away from him of course) and headed off on his way.   
  
"And that's when I tripped and tumbled into those boxes over there and now here I am." Danny explained to the group, leaving out the part regarding his identity reveal and panic attack when they'd asked him what happened to the scout. Jack and Miko sighed disappointingly before resuming in their assigned tasks, Raf looked greatly dishearten at the information, tapping fingers coming to a stop squeezing his eyes shut wearing a disgruntled frown. A heavy sigh left him a moment after just as a small ping sounded "the firewalls are down leaving an opening to an attack." Raf informed him monotonously "I don't know how long I can keep it open so you need to do whatever it is quickly."   
  
Danny squeezed Raf's shoulder comfortingly before walking towards the main console, glancing back over his shoulder Danny called out to him "don't worry about Bumblebee, he's going to be fine just like everyone else when I evict Technus out of the system." Raf looked down at his keyboard for a moment before meeting his eyes, a small smile beginning to emerge "make sure to blast him extra hard for me okay?" Danny smirked, nodding understandingly giving a thumbs up "you got it." And with that he dived into the machine becoming intangible for a brief moment before getting sucked into the cyberspace.   
  
Upon opening his eyes, Danny was greeted by a blackish-green world with strands of unknown neon blue coding flew past him at light speeds standing out against the backdrop. Danny looked around trying to decide which direction he should head into but everything looked the same, nothing appeared to span out for miles.   
  
"Great, now what?" he asked aloud to the infinite void.  _Now's not the time to be clueless,_ he reminded himself,  _there's gotta be a clue to where I can find Technus._  Danny was brought out of his musings when he noticed something.  _The coding._ Some of the coding was not like the others, they kept glitching up like they were foreign to the system. Hesitantly he raised a hand and touched a strand that neared him, fingers brushing through splitting it apart momentarily before it rejoined itself.  _Bingo._ That coding had came from his left Danny realized dusting his finger tips to remove any of the residue from the strategical text, and like all coding they all were outputted from a source, the programmer. That source in this situation was Technus.  
  
Not wasting another second he sailed through the masses of texts like a bullet. It must of taken at least two minutes before something came into view, that something being a giant floating bubble wrapped entirely of coded text that Danny couldn't register as useful in his mind due to it not being in his area of expertise. Literal gibberish worded text sprang out from the enclosure like chains buoying it into place, if the place didn't already say 'intimidating' then Danny didn't know what else Technus could add to it to make it more so. Orbiting around Danny looked for an access point, for awhile he thought there wasn't and he was going to have to make one himself until he spotted a slowly closing white hole hidden among the brambles. "So that's what Raf meant when he got me an opening." Danny mused, diving towards the vanishing light without pause avoiding the overhanging chains effortlessly, clearing the entrance just as the shrinking hole closed.   
  
There stood Technus; all in his robotic glory appearing to not have notice his presence here. "No no no!" Technus shouted angrily slamming a fist onto the virtual keyboard shattering it "how is this possible?! I thought I infected every device the silo had to offer?!" Danny smirked triumphantly at the news knowing he was referring to Raf's laptop "it's called double checking and not getting caught up in the glory of looking stupid" Danny announced tauntingly to gain his attention, a snarl graced Technus' face as he whirled on him "not you again! not when I'm so close to world domination!" well that didn't sound appealing at all. Danny batted his eyelashes bashfully "yes it I! here to deliver you a personal message from everyone here." his fist was engulfed by an ectoplasmic flame just as Danny launched himself at Technus.  
  
"Get Rekt!"   
  
Too stunned to react in time, a hard punch was delivered to the side of Technus' jaw making him stumble. Regathering his bearings Technus shot out a glowing fist animating tendrils to rush after the Ghost Boy "how dare you use such slang on me!?" Technus spat managing to snag Danny's foot and spun him around a bit before throwing him into a wall "I, Technus; master of all technology is not a noob at this!" Danny shook his head to clear his wavering vision just as another tendril shot at him he leaped to the side, narrowly avoiding it.  _I'm making him angry, good. He'd be easier distract this way._ "Uh are you sure about that? cause it seems to me that your really bad at this." Danny turned intangible right when the cable was inches away from grabbing him "oh I know! how about a compromise? you just surrender and I can suck you up into the thermos right now to save you the embarrassment of being defeated by me,  _again_." Dozens of ectoplasmic spears appeared on either side of Technus floating haphazardly seeming to be suspended in time for a brief moment, with the flick of the wrist they shot forward. "Well I tried."  
  
Danny flew towards his opponent never minding the spears as he dodged, twisted, ducked and flipped accordingly. He could feel the disturbance in the air as the projectiles sliced through the airspace and passed him, a slight sting blossomed in his cheek as a spear grazed just below his eye as ectoplasm bled from the wound. Danny brought back his foot and swung, creating a massive dent in Technus' armor on impact, kicking off for a boost to avoid the blast Technus shot his way. "You little brat! come back here so I can crush you!"   
  
"Um no, that's why I left in the first place; your a bad host." Danny replied firing an ectoblast back at him, swerving back for the counter attack. But Technus was ready this time, awaiting till the the last second he ducked out of the way and snatched Danny swiftly from the air, sending volts of electricity through his hand Danny let out a scream of pain. With his assault finished Technus threw him to the floor of the dome, watching the teenager with a malicious grin "are you ready for more?" Danny's muscles spasm involuntarily feeling the electricity still sparking along his body lying prone for an attack. He struggled to get up, but his limbs refused to support his weight trembling with strain.   
  
His efforts paid off as he managed to float upwards, cracking his neck side to side as his eyes flashed a brighter green "What, I'm just getting started."  
  
  
 ** _~~~~~~TFP~~~~~~_**  
  
  
As soon as Danny left that's when the bots decided to show out. First it was Bulkhead staring at them for long, uncomfortable periods of time. Then it was Bumblebee running pass the entrance every so often to freak them out, oh and there was also Ratchet; he was currently grinding his surgical blades against the walls like he was sharpening them wearing a wide physcopathic grin as he did so. And Smokescreen was currently ramming his body into the ice wall nonstop and they were pretty certain that it wouldn't hold long if he kept at it.   
  
 ** _Thud!_**  
  
"Oh give it rest Smokey! it's not going to brake!" Miko yelled over her shoulder finally growing annoyed with the bot's antics. The crystal in her pistol was down by less then half and she probably had about three shots left before it was useless, it wasn't just her stuff that was going to mess up their survival plan, the batteries in Jack's flashlight were starting to die and kept flickering, leaving him to turn it off unless it was absolutely necessary for use so there's that.   
  
She sure wished she'd asked Danny for a refill before he- which Miko found to be super cool- went inside the computer system. Now she really did need to make every shot count and only fire it if needed. Miko found herself yawning tiredly, rubbing at her eyes relentlessly to keep herself from hallucinating, being chased by giant robots really took a lot out of you, especially if its been hours since it started. Miko really wanted to get some pictures of this so she could show Bulkhead how rad she was during all this; it was the least she should get out of this whole ordeal.   
  
Something clattered behind them making Jack turn around to face it, seeing the vent grate rattle like it had been used recently, "Miko did you lock up the vent?" he asked receiving a incredulous expression instantly "me? I thought you were going to do it."   
  
Something blue flashed in their peripheral vision just as they spun around there was nothing there. "This isn't good." Jack muttered glancing around cautiously. "No duh." Miko answered sarcastically, she was met by a side glare from him telling her to shut it. "Raf is anyone popping up on the cameras?" Jack questioned, jumping when he heard something scratching near the groundbridge tunnel. Raf typed frantically feeling his hands starting to perspire from nervousness, "no, I don't even see Bulkhead or Optimus anymore" no matter how many times he tried to adjust the camera quality no one appeared.  
  
"They're closing in on us," Raf realized, eyes growing wide with dawning horror and nearly froze as fear dug it's greedy claws into his stomach. Jack turned just in time to see rows of sharp teeth glint in the flashing warning lights, the pink and blue accents among the dark endoskeleton were easily recognizable as well in size.   
  
"Arcee is in the room right over there!" pointing at the dark area she was currently inhabiting, an eerie screech of static rang out loudly from her making the trio jump. "I see Optimus and he doesn't seem ready to give up." Miko piped in. Optimus stumbled to the ice barricade like he had just been kicked out of the local bar and had one too many drinks pushing Smokescreen aside who watched on with a dumbstruck smile. Optimus bladed servo was back as he stabbed at the wall with rapid precision making hairline fractures surface. There was no doubt that the Autobot leader would succeed in his task, remembering he had shattered the blockade from earlier with little to no effort.   
  
Jack just realized Miko was swearing fluidly in Japanese  nonstop as she kept reaiming her gun at Optimus and Smokescreen, Bumblebee and Ratchet and Arcee trying to decide who was the immediate threat right now as they inched closer and closer to where they stood. Jack's eyes darted around desperately looking for a place to buy them some time, there wasn't alot of options available to them but maybe they could get themselves a few more minutes of protection from the lift. Grabbing Raf by the shoulder until he stood up, Jack motioned them to follow him "come on! we need to get to higher ground!" Jack commanded sternly leaving no room for argument.  
  
That was when the sound of something akin to broken glass pierced the sudden quiet.  
  
  
 _ **~~~~~~DP~~~~~~**_  
  
Danny hopped backwards as a barrage of electric strikes hit the ground, avoiding the onslaught as it came. Finally Technus paused in his attack to rethink his tactics, now it was Danny's chance. Charging up his fist he rushed towards at his opponent at a breakneck speed, landing dozens of punches before vanishing and reappearing at random places before Technus could grab him.   
  
By now Technus' armor was littered with deep dents revealing sparking wires. but Danny wasn't finished yet sweeping out his hand he shot an energy wave at Technus' midsection, an explosion was seen when the blast hit making the technology obsess ghost's form glitch trying to become stable again in the virtual world. "Give it up Technus, it's not long now before you lose your hold here." Danny announced just before he was body slammed into the wall. Technus leered at him as his hands tighten around Danny's arm in a vice grip threatening to snap the bone if it became any tighter, "never! for you see I have one last card in play. My robotic army is seconds away from killing off your new friends, all you got to do to save them is leave now." Technus pulled up a screen showing what he said to be true, Danny watched with dread as the bots got closer and closer to the kids, weapons drawn and malicious grins graced their faces as they stared hollowly at them not an ounce of recognition upon seeing their human friends.  
  
"So you can finish hacking the last firewall so you can get into the government system and take over the world?" Danny asked irritated as the grin on Technus' face grew wider "why yes, that is exactly why."   
  
"Then no." Danny replied as his eyes and hands glowed blue "so if were done trying to come to an agreement then I'm just going to whoop your sorry tin-can." A giant icicle impaled Technus' robot suit in the chest right before the ectoplasm in it exploded shattering the cyberspace world around them tossing them back into reality.   
  
Danny and Technus -now out of his suit after it exploded-tumbled into a roll trading blows with each other, electricity and ectoblasts flew wildly through the air not once landing on their opponent. Danny kneed him in the gut momentarily distracting Technus as he reached for his thermos only to grasp open air. "Dang I really need to fix the clasp on that thing" Danny muttered ducking another electric blast missing the side of his head scorching the ground beneath him. "You shall pay for destroying my masterpiece of a suit!" Technus spat grabbing at Danny's throat before lifting them both to their feet. Danny's hands scrambled for purchase trying to remove the hands that were blocking air from entering his lungs, glancing about desperately for his missing thermos.  
  
Finally he saw it rolling to a stop near the lift steps, looking up he saw the teens being cornered by the bots backing up against the computer modules. "Jack!" Danny shouted "I really need that thermos!" Jack took his eyes off the bots and looked to where Danny pointed seeing the metallic device just as Optimus stepped over it reaching a hand towards them screeching insanely. Despite the obvious threat getting ready to attack them Jack ran for the device, ducking the hand that swept for him as he grabbed it. "Great now aim it and suck him into the thermos!" Danny yelled. Jack did as he was told; uncapping the lid like he seen Danny do before he aimed "how do I get it to turn on?" he asked "just press the button!"  
  
"what about you?"   
  
"I'll be fine!"  
  
Technus turned to face the sixteen year old and cackled "go ahead and try! I'll take us both!"  
  
"don't listen to him and just do it!"   
  
Jack glanced hesitantly behind him where Miko and Raf were becoming smaller and smaller in the crowd as Miko shot another ice blast in warning before facing forward, taking aim he fired. Danny quickly turned intangible slipping into the floor before he got sucked into the blast radius, Technus on the other hand was too slow to react, his screams of anguish pierced the airwaves as he struggled to escape the suction but only was preventing the inevitable for a few seconds before being sucked inside as Jack quickly recapped it.   
  
The Autobots came to halt instantly, a layer of green shimmered across their armor before falling off into ectoplasm and vanished leaving them like their normal selves just as the lights came back on. A chorus of groans were heard as they rubbed at their heads, "ugh, what happened?" Arcee asked tiredly blinking unsteady optics into focus and she checked out her surroundings. "Technus happened." Jack announced to them all "but no worries, I've got him right here." Shaking the thermos when he held it up for them all to see. "Yeah!" Miko piped in as she ran down the steps to give Bulkhead's leg a hug "he was controlling all you guys to attack us." Smokescreen shuddered as he looked himself over "is that why I feel so dirty?" he asked with wide optics. Bulkhead rubbed at his helm and groaned "man I have a massive processor ache."   
  
Danny slid in from the floor rejoining them with a relieved smile "glad to your all back." Optimus straighten his posture from leaning over on the railing "its great to be back. Was anyone harmed when we not in control of our actions?" the Prime inquired voice taking on a serious tone. "I just sprained my foot; though none of you guys had anything to do with it." Jack answered quickly "it'll heal in a few weeks or less." Optimus nodded taking in the information, though sadden by the events there was nothing they could do to change it now.   
  
 _ **~~~~~~  
  
**_ Ratchet finished scanning everyone over for processor damage not wanting to take any chances. Nothing was amiss so that was one less thing to worry about. Everyone was still traumatized by it as the bots stood off to the side just seeming to shrink in on themselves, just glad the nightmare was over.   
  
Danny hovered midair unconsciously doing a rollcall in his mind as his eyes trailed over everyone to assure himself that everyone was fine now, that was until he met eyes with Bumblebee was he reminded that Bee now knew his secret and right now he didn't feel like explaining it all, growing uncomfortable Danny looked away floating lower in hopes to lessen the chance of Bumblebee coming over to question him. Fortunately for him Bumblebee stayed were he was as Danny sighed in relief.  
  
Just not right now, not after this ordeal. Just later.   
  
He promised. _


	11. Damage Control

_**~~~~~~~~~~~~** _

_**~~~~~~DP~~~~~~  
**_  
The Autobots returned through the ground bridge with downcast looks and empty handed; not only had they been possessed for the past four hours (which the group of teenagers had the pleasure of having to explain what happened during their possession albeit a bit uncomfortably) but when the systems rebooted after the power came back on they discovered that the next set of relic coordinates Optimus had been decoding had been revealed. Quickly they'd ground bridged to the relic's location in the mountains of Iowa only to discover that the Decepticons got to it first to add salt to the wound. So now the Autobots were sullen and on edge, they felt out of place in their frames feeling grossly sticky with every movement they made when their armor shifted uncomfortably, unconsciously distancing themselves from each other and the smaller beings which didn't go unnoticed, they had that far away look like they weren't entirely all there, and now the Con's had a relic that did who knows what.  
  
It was really made evident when Miko had ran back to Bulkhead after he returned to greet him, but as soon as she came into his peripheral vision Bulkhead instantly jumped back with a start looking fearful for a moment, Miko came to a stop after that looking up at him with worry. A moment passed before Bulkhead's tense stance relaxed, supplying an apology but made no other movement towards her. Before Miko could say anything Jack hobbled over resting a hand on her shoulder reassuringly, "come on, lets give them a little space to settle down" guiding her as best as he could with his limp towards the lift.   
  
Quietly Miko walked away from Jack's guidance and plopped herself down onto the couch huffily, catching sight of Danny perched on the arm. Miko's hand went to the forgotten pistol and raised it towards him tapping it against his thigh to get his attention "here's your ice gun back." Miko said, Danny turn to her inquisitively before down at the offered weapon. Right the freeze ray gun; the one he made in a spurt of boredom and to tinker with something or at the very least _create_  something that didn't entirely involve using his ghost powers. But now staring at the lent gun Danny questioned why he even decided on creating a weapon in the first place. It was unnecessary. He already had supernatural abilities why would he need a gun that replicated one of his powers anyway? at best he might of even thought about giving it to one of his friends if it wasn't for the fact that he was miles away from home and probably would misplace it by the time Danny got back.  
  
But then today's events happened. The group had been split up and partially defenseless, its by sheer luck that none of them had been severely injured, the only reason he had felt a bit more comfortable with leaving them alone once again was because Miko had a way to defend them by non lethal means. It was then he came to a decision. "I want you to have it." Danny responded making Miko's eyes widen in surprise a bit stunned for words.  
  
"But-wh-?"   
  
"You proved you can handle yourself" he stated simply with a shrug "think of it as a graduation present or something." There was more he wanted to say but just couldn't find the proper words to express it, instead Danny just settled for the shorter response even if was a bit lame in his opinion, but it was all worth seeing the shock melt into an excited grin, beginning to bounce happily from her sudden gift.  
  
"Awesome, thanks!" Miko said twirling on her heel and began taking off into a run only to skid to a halt and return not even a minute later, ice pistol held out in front of her expectedly "do ya think you could give me a refill?" she prompted hopefully, nodding Danny leaned forward and touched the depleting power source, a brief glow of his fingers fixed the problem instantly as Miko bid him another thank-you before proceeding to scurry off to whatever the heck she was planning on doing in the first place. Danny shook his head amusedly before sparing a quick glance upwards, none of the Cybertronians seemed to have noticed the exchange between them or just didn't care; either answer bothered Danny a bit as he frowned.  
  
Floating from his perch he eyed the bots carefully, each wore faces of wariness staring at nothing in particular seeming lost in thought. Arcee's tapping fingers drummed against her arm plating eliciting a sharp ping to ring out in the silence, she appeared quite anxious. Danny descended down next to her chewing his bottom lip apprehensively, he knew Arcee wasn't entirely  _fond_  of him for whatever reason she had and he wasn't even sure if he'd done anything wrong in the first place but Danny hoped he could fix it. Moral support it is then.   
  
"Arcee?" Danny asked gently, instantly her fingers stilled but she didn't say anything in response, so he continued "are you doing okay?"  
  
"Fine." Came her tart response, the sharpness to her tone made Danny want to flinch back,  _yeah, she's_ _ **definitely**  fine. _The satirical thought flickered at the forefront of his mind before he briskly pushed it away. Arcee didn't want to talk about it which was something he could understand and leave it at that, some things just couldn't be explained or put into words for others to understand.  
  
But sometimes, it really did help to have someone to talk to.  
  
Arcee narrowed her optics at him "is there any reason why your still hovering over me?" Danny blinked dumbly before having the sense to look embarrassed as he realized she was right "oh! uh, sorry, I was just lost in thought." Danny answered causing Arcee's frown to deepen, unmoved by his excuse. Danny coughed awkwardly.  "Soooo... You wanna talk about it?"   
  
The look Danny received from her made him regret asking, she looked like she just stepped in some expired milk that was so rank it could make rotten tuna fish smell like hot Belgian waffles, and he was to blame for the offensive aroma. "No."  
  
"Okay, jeez... Sorry I asked. Just thought it would be-"  
  
"Look." Arcee said sharply successfully cutting him off, growing more and more irritated at Danny's attempts at initiating a conversation "I'm sure everyone appreciates what you did to keep the kids safe but that doesn't mean that everyone suddenly wants your help. Just because your here does not mean for you to play the solo hero role every time a situation goes south. You came here to be placed under  _our_  protection assuming the cons are still after you; _not_  the other way around."  
  
All hopes of a friendship starting to build was gone; Danny's feeling for compassion instantly slipped as a bitter retort rested on the tip of his tongue, ready to fire at a moments notice. But surprisingly his common sense kicked in, keeping the remark just there. _Arcee_   _has had a long day and is just terrified, she probably didn't even mean it...Possibly._ Danny rationalized, not even fully believing the answer himself still feeling that her response was unjustified to say the least, so instead he settled for giving her a glare as he floated more out of her personal space, no need to give her more reason to degrade him. Catching Arcee's tone garnered Optimus' attention, seeming to sense the tension arising the Prime decided to put a stop to it before things proceed to escalate to higher extremes.   
  
"Perhaps it's best for you and the children to depart until things have settled." Optimus addressed to Danny whom turned to him disbelievingly, looking ready to argue but not a word was spoken from the frowning ghost teen, not questioning the reaction Optimus continued, turning to his friend giving a slight nod "Ratchet, if you'll please."  
  
The seasoned medic gave a firm nod to his leader before reaching over and pulled down the lever for the ground-bridge, a bright flash grew in the hollowed out tunnel into an iridescent vortex ready for transportation.  _Well it's good to know that Technus didn't damage any of the ground-bridge equipment._ Danny thought with relief, it was one last thing he didn't have to worry about.   
  
The kids looked ready to protest against the sudden decision of their departure, mostly Miko. "But we barely got to hang out! we were here for at least five hours and only two was spent not running for our lives!" Miko exclaimed, despite her clear exhaustion that shown in her slouched body she was still ready to have her say in the matter even if it led to an argument, though saying that currently didn't help her in the least as their guilty expressions deepened.  
  
Danny shrugged at that "you know, near death experiences tend to bond people closer together." He supplied optimistically, receiving a look from Miko that could be perceived as 'not helping'.  
  
"What about our phones?" Miko quickly asked when Ratchet looked ready to start escorting them by any means to get rid of them "we can't leave without them."   
  
Ratchet looked directly at Danny, meeting his eyes Danny wondered what the medic was thinking. Ratchet looked tired; his vibrant blue eyes had dimmed to barely a glow seeming to really show his age. A curt nod towards the doorway was the silent response, telling Danny to go retrieve the small devices. The hybrid nodded and quickly went to get them, it only made sense for he knew where they were and going by the tension in the air Ratchet wanted them to leave as soon as possible.  
  
Not long in his flight Danny came across the ecto goop attaching one of the cellphones to the wall, it didn't take much prying to remove it. Danny absorbed the ectoplasm back into his body before turning to carry on his way only to stop dead in his tracks as his eyes became wide like dinner plates. Now with the lights back on he could see the destruction that was the hallway, flooring torn upwards in zig-zagging patterns, walls littered with deep scratches and occasional dents that must have been caused by a misstep falling into a stumble or perhaps even an angry punch.   
  
Danny hovered above the floors surveying the wreckage in stunned silence, it looked like a tornado had torn through here, though it wasn't the case. Danny hadn't even realized he was floating forward until he noticed the torn floor winding into itself and outward, he was honestly at a lost for words. The place was a mess; and even that didn't seem accurate enough to describe it. Danny was half tempted to start welding the floors back together before the bots came through here and saw the destruction they'd caused knowing that seeing it would make them feel a heck of a lot worse about the days events. But, and he really hated the choice he was going to make, everyone was still waiting for his return with the phones and lingering around any longer would draw attention. Heaving a frustrated sigh Danny continued on with his assigned task.  
  
Not long the retrieval of the phones was completed. Storing his own into his hidden pocket Danny returned to the foyer without a moments haste, the emptiness of the halls lacking any other occupants had sent an uncomfortable shiver down his spine, something that hadn't been triggered by his ghost sense but to be simply put, a sense of foreboding, lonely even. Entering a room full of beings that were alive was a welcomed change, even if the energy they projected felt lifeless.  
  
The group was patiently waiting for him, although, Danny noticed with a slight cringe, Ratchet was tapping his fingers with a note of annoyance. He looked him over skeptically before letting out a huff conveying his dwindling patience "took you long enough." Ratchet remarked as Danny flew down and distributed the small devices to their respected owners, said children were regarding the still active vortex not too far behind them dejectedly. "Did you get sidetracked?"  
  
Danny now looked to swirling portal and shrugged, neither denying nor confirming the accusation feeling himself become lost in his thoughts. _I want to stay behind and help with the damage_. Surely the amount of destruction he'd seen would take a good few hours worth of repairs and Danny doubted it was the half of it, betting there was more damage further down the halls and in the pipeline, they'll need all the hands they can get to fix the place up in a reasonable amount of time especially given how exhausted everyone looked, it was a pretty high chance that the bots were likely going to overwork themselves. At least Danny would feel better about leaving if he knew they'll be able to rest peacefully and wind down from the stressful day.   
  
Danny faintly registered the other kids departure seeing Jack half drag a fuming Miko along out of the corner of his eye, Raf followed closely behind only to turn near the entrance of the ground bridge to give a quick wave to their alien friends, asking a quiet "see you tomorrow?" as he hooked the strap of his backpack over his shoulder and handed Miko the one she'd forgotten up on the lift, probably to lessen her chance to provide another excuse to stay. Not a word was spoken from the bots as they exchanged uncertain glances with each other unsure on the answer before Optimus took charge, keeping a collected air about him as he addressed the matter. "Perhaps Rafael."  
  
Raf nodded forcing a small smile and turned to leave with Jack and Miko, it was all he could ask knowing that it wasn't a promise.  
  
The ground bridge shut down after that as Ratchet began providing another set of coordinates to send Danny off to, presumably from the spot when he had first called in at. The hand reaching to pull down the lever once more came to a halt at Danny's sudden exclamation "wait! I want to stay!"  
  
The outburst gained the bots attention as Ratchet raised a quizzical brow at him, seeming to read the entire teams' thoughts Ratchet voiced the question of the hour, "why?" detecting the slightest bit of urgency edging into the ghost teen's tone made Ratchet more alert, holding Danny within his gaze as a seriousness entered his optics.   
  
Danny winced, but it wasn't at his own expense; instead it was one of pity. A suffering sigh escaped him before Danny spoke up "look, your going to find out anyway but it's probably best that you find out now rather than later." Out of the corner of his eye Danny noticed Bumblebee's inquiring stare, Danny knew what he was thinking, and the thought of his predicament with the scout sent a wave of apprehension to his gut. Swallowing, Danny continued so to distract himself from thinking on that matter further "the rest of your base is  _trashed_ , like literally trashed. Like floorboards torn up and someone took a sledgehammer to the walls grade vandalism. I only saw the hallway, but judging from the looks of things there is  _a lot_  more and not in just that one area. It's- oh god, there's a lot."   
  
Danny's hands found his hair and began pulling it back to attempt to relieve some of the stress he was beginning to feel. His chore of cleaning up the lab back home always took him a good thirty minutes or more depending on how ecstatic his parents were the previous time they were inventing or experimenting on something, and that was just working in ghost form; at least when they weren't around otherwise that was another story. If Jack and Maddie ever destroyed the lab to _this_  extent Danny was fairly certain he would be tempted to go rob Vlad to hire a cleaning crew. No way was he going to ask or much less beg the fruit loop.  
  
Their eyes widen a fraction at the news, and going from the ghost's reaction the damage must be bad. Bulkhead frowned in guilt, most likely assuming that he was the cause for most of the destruction that had been afflicted which Danny knew wasn't the case.  
  
Optimus nodded softly taking in the information "if the damage in which you speak is as severe as you claim, then we shall begin repairs to the base momentarily. For now Danny, you should head back to your residency and get yourself some proper rest after today's ordeal, you appear quite exhausted."   
  
Danny lips went taut holding in the shout of frustration he so wanted to express, "um, have you even looked at yourselves? no offense, but you guys look as if a stiff breeze could knock you over and wouldn't even be able to get up afterwards." everyone could hear the aggravation edging into his voice, however no one objected against the statement "Look I'm not going to abandon you guys when your obviously aren't at your best, especially when everyone has a serious task that needs to be taken care of. Hey, if you want to get rid of me, then the faster this gets done the sooner I can get out of your hair, alright?" Danny proposed hoping to come to an agreement, this was his last stand against the situation, if he was shot down once again Danny would just have to concede to it and take his leave.  
  
A tense silence settled among them as Optimus mulled his argument over, leaving his comrades and a undead teenager to patiently await his answer. Not even a second later, the Prime closed his eyes as a barely audible sigh escaped him "very well. We shall see fit that we get to working on the repairs straight away." Optimus answered. And like someone waved a magic wand, the team suddenly dispersed, seeking out the damage themselves to see what they'll need to start the repairs.  
  
Danny almost let out a breath of relief at the turn of events, a small satisfied smile tugged at the corners of his lips at the successful negotiation. Catching sight of Smokescreen as he headed down the hallway Danny began to follow, only to instantly halt when Ratchet called out to him "Danny would you come here please?" Ratchet stood patiently waiting for him near the entrance to the pipeline, toolbox in hand with contents Danny couldn't quite see. Danny spared a quick glance back to the hallway to find Smokescreen no longer in sight and sighed, floating towards the awaiting medic instead, it must be something important if Ratchet was willing to say _'please'_.   
  
Once he was certain that Danny was following him Ratchet proceeded to enter the lower level, optics scanning the space keenly for areas that required repairing. The two walked in a comfortable silence, which Danny couldn't help but find a bit odd given the circumstances of their relationship; punk kid challenging an annoyed surgical-carrying medic to a dance off was probably not the best note to leave off on in retrospect. But despite this they weren't bothered by each others presence, neither pausing in their search as two sets of observant eyes scanned the space. It was only then when Danny craned his neck for the forth time did Ratchet say something "there, up ahead." Jerking his head to the side motioning towards a deep crack forming in the floor, Ratchet walked forward, pulling out a decent sized hammer from his toolbox before crouching down near a spot where the metal flooring stood jagged upwards. After getting a firmer grip of the tool Ratchet began hammering it back into place, causing the metal to slowly bend back from it's upright position.   
  
Danny landed not too far from him, gripping the small section of floor tightly he began pushing it down drawing out a loud groan from the torn metal as it eventually went back into it's flatten position. They continued this process for awhile, the sounds of pounding and creaks echoed from the alloy filled the void of conversation, which Danny was thankful for seeing as he couldn't even come up with something to begin one in the first place.   
  
However, Danny's thoughts began drifting elsewhere, body seeming to click into autopilot after becoming adjusted to the task while his consciousness withdrew into his mind. _How could I have let things get so out of hand?_ Danny found himself asking as he gripped the metal between his fingers,  _if only I could have sensed Technus earlier I would have been able to deal with him sooner and not had to worry about everyone getting caught in the cross fire._ He had let his guard down, became too relaxed and forgotten all about his missing ghost problem.   
  
 _And now everyone is suffering from the consequences of my actions._ Danny found himself letting out a irritated huff before pushing down of the flooring rather harshly.  _Figures._ Danny examined his progress briefly to see how much he got done. He covered at least eight feet worth of damage, just four more feet to go before moving onto the next jagged tear line.   
  
 _The only thing I can do now is try to fix things; figuratively and literally. Maybe then all of us will feel a little less guilty and be able to put this behind us and continue whatever weird friendship/acquaintances that started between us. Maybe I can even find the USB drive that has Tucker's anti-ghost virus on it to prevent this from happening-.  
_  
Danny was abruptly snapped out of his thoughts as he realized Ratchet was talking to him, only catching the sentence's ending "-kind?"  
  
He blinked away his confusion, turning to address Ratchet "I'm sorry, what?"  
  
Ratchet had set the hammer aside and let out a slightly peeved sigh at having to repeat himself. "I said: why aren't you like the rest of your kind?"  
  
Danny did not like what he was implying. "What do you mean?"  
  
"What I mean is that every ghost that we have come into contact with had malicious, destructive intentions." Ratchet elaborated. "You, on the other hand haven't displayed such behavior, making you almost as tolerable as humans given their often intrusiveness despite over better judgement."  
  
Danny frowned taking a moment to pause. "Don't you think that's a bit racist?" but at Ratchet's perplexed look Danny doubted that the doctor didn't even see what was wrong with what he had just said. "Let me clarify; you can't just assume that just because when a few people belonging to a certain branch of civilization does something wrong that that action alone defines their entire race. No one is inherently good or evil, but subjecting an entire race to either one is discrimination."   
  
Ratchet frowned as well, but for another reason "but ghosts aren't entirely a race, in theory; they are strong memories of past lives-"  
  
"it most certainly is!" Danny responded a bit snappishly, feeling kinda touchy on the subject as a certain Anti-Ecto Control acts came to mind, "we may not have a specific appearance like skin tones, hair color, eyes, heck! some of the ghosts are not even sapient! but we all come from the same origin. Some ghosts like to cause trouble, yeah, but others just want to go about their business or just want to be left alone."  
  
A minute passed after Danny got what he wanted to say out as Ratchet gazed at him expectedly, "are you done?" he received a quiet nod, satisfied that the ghost teen's short temper had finally calmed Ratchet continued "now, as I was going to say before you interrupted" at least Danny had the sense to look sheepish "meaning your residual energy that will transcend into something entirely new. You may not share resemblances or traits with one another but you are all kindred energy. That's your tether, that is what keeps you all similar like a culture. "  
  
A pause. "Even with that said, you are however right, I did not intend to be offensive."  
  
Danny balled his fists into his jumpsuit as he looked down embarrassingly, not really able to meet the older being's eyes as a tinge of pink colored his cheeks, mumbling a quiet "oh."  
  
Ratchet sighed. Great, now he made Danny feel uncomfortable. He felt like he should probably change the subject before things faded into an awkward silence making it much harder to start another conversation with him. "So are you certain that your thermos will keep that ghost contained?"   
  
That seemed to have done the trick as Phantom visibly brighten, Danny nodded, glancing over at the work that still needed to be done before hovering midair, readying a steady ectobeam to seal the floor "yeah, it's gonna keep Technus trapped in there until I release him back into the Ghost Zone." Green energy streamed from his palm at a moderate pace welding the metal until it fused together.  
  
All of Ratchet's rational calm went out the window as Ratchet whirled on him with a bewildered expression, face plates pulled into a dissatisfied snarl, clearly that wasn't the response that he was expecting or even wanted.   
  
"Excuse me? after all the trouble he caused?! why release that- that vile creature to run rampant again! you should just keep him locked in there to rot for all eternity is what that _menace_  deserves." He spat. "Why would you risk the safety of every being on this planet when all this can be prevented? Danny, you claim you want to help people and yet what your planning to do is the opposite." Ratchet was not about to let this child put his team in harms way again due to his carelessness.  
  
That gave him a moments paused before Danny snorted in bitter amusement, silencing his ectobeam in the blink of an eye as it completely disappeared, turning to give Ratchet his full attention fixing him with a serious, yet slightly exasperated look, though the irritation was more directed to the ghost in question rather than the medic. "You wouldn't believe how many times I considered it. _But_ , knowing with my luck another ghost will come along and release him and since I kept Technus in there for so long, he wouldn't waste the chance to get revenge on me in a much more _satisfying_ way; of course satisfying for him but not so much for me. And oh darn!" Danny said in an mockingly surprised voiced "there goes one of our only defenses who actually gave a freaking care about protecting people and not just deeming it as collateral damage, but it's okay! we can always rely on the Guys in White to endanger the public population while there being a slight chance of them  _actually_  containing the ghost!"  
  
The giant forced smile that was on the teenager's face was dripping with so much feigned sarcasm that it was unsettling. Ratchet deliberated the answer over, finding there to be some logic behind his words as he played what could transpire in his mind, Ratchet gave a conceding nod. "And this 'Ghost Zone'? what is it exactly?" at least getting some answers to the place Danny apparently wanted to send the nuisance might make him feel a little more at ease, best case it could be some type of state of the art prison or an asylum for the critically insane complete with ghost proof straitjackets; worst case it was a shady daycare center where, just like the humans younger offspring, could escape at any given moment due to poor care givers.  
  
Relief flowed through him at Ratchet's much calmer demeanor, before Danny frowned thoughtfully. "The Ghost Zone is an alternate form of reality, or another dimension if you will. It's where ectoplasmic entities reside when they're not on this side of the physical plane wreaking havoc that cater to their obsession." Danny recited, his parents explanation had unintentionally came out as he just blinked numbly, this is what happens when you spend too much time with the older Fentons; the crazy begins to rub off.   
  
Ratchet didn't seem to notice the look that crossed the young phantom's face as he once again acknowledged with a bit of horror at the prospect of becoming like his parents; dangerously obsessed to the point of not being able see reason, or at least ignored it in favor of this new found information as he rubbed at his chin thoughtfully.   
  
"Another dimension you say?" Ratchet received a confirming nod "fascinating. A tear in the fabric of reality which would lead to the paranormal world; perhaps even connecting to pathways that lead to others or the Shadow Zone. But how would such a phenomenon occur? what does the circumstances need to be in order for a doorway to open?" Ratchet asked more to himself than to Danny, his mind delving deeper into possible theories whilst Danny stood off to the side watching him curiously, midlife crisis forgotten. That faraway look that was beginning to etch into his face instantly snapped away as Ratchet remembered Danny's presence. "This is a topic I would like to study further in my spare time, perhaps even exploring this more would prove useful later on."  
  
Danny perked up at that "really?" surprised at the sudden declaration. He was glad to see Ratchet appear more at ease upon the discussion, not only was he a medic but he also appeared to have a passion for the realms of science, though Danny guessed you had to seeing if that's the career you wanted to pursue in life. Something to get his mind off of what occurred earlier must have been a welcomed change.   
  
"Absolutely." Ratchet assured crushing the tinge of uncertainty that tainted Danny's voice before continuing "now what more can you tell me about the Ghost Zone?"  
  
 ** _~~~~~~TFP~~~~~~_**  
  
The third sector hallway was looking fairly better then it did twenty minutes ago, it was slow going but it was a process that needed to be done right. Arcee had paired herself up with Bumblebee out of habit due to the state of mind she was currently in, Bumblebee tended not to pester for answers in the hopes of somehow thinking it would help, but they both knew it wouldn't and for that she was grateful. The duo made continuous progress on the walls and floors using a welder, a blowtorch and some joint compound that they had pulled out of the supply closet. Neither spoke; instead focusing their efforts into the completion of the given task, there may have been silence however, but Arcee's mind was far from it. Occupied with thoughts and memories that she couldn't seem to pull herself from.   
  
 _Arcee stood still on the ridge, overlooking the valley below that was filled with stark white moon flowers seeming to illuminate like their namesake as the moon glowed gently above, their fragrance wafted through the air as she admired their beauty with a soft smile, she felt like she could sit here for hours and recharge untouched here, sleep for vorns after the centuries of war; her spark crying out in agony for all the friends she had lost and endured for so long, safe from anymore destruction. Safe from nightmares._  
  
 _"Beautiful isn't it?" the smooth resonating sound startled her as she realized she wasn't alone, the softly spoken voice had sounded familiar but her processor couldn't quite make the connection quick enough, Arcee turned to address them just before her optics widen as she felt her cooling fans hitch, feeling like everything in the universe had just came to a standstill._  
  
 _"Cliff?" Arcee asked breathlessly, so quietly it could have been mistaken for the whispering wind that sang gently pass. There sat CliffJumper, an arms length beside Arcee as he met her optics. Her lips refused to form words, almost afraid to at the prospect of him disappearing at a moments notice._  
  
 _The corners of CliffJumper's mouth pulled upwards into that familiar smirk she remembered so vividly, the one he would make before chuckling at his own joke, giving an exaggerated wave to himself like he was presenting something grand "the one and only." And there it is; that amused little twinkle shining in his optics like the first star to shine brightly through the night. CliffJumper's charming personality was like a beacon, gaining the attention of many and annoying them to no end but was welcoming nonetheless._  
  
 _"How are you here?" finally getting control over her fumbling mouth, rationalism entered Arcee's mind as she assessed the situation over. Cliff was dead, did that mean she was no longer online? but this place, it looked- no,_ **felt** _so real. To the grass beneath her pedes to the smell of moon flowers that carried through the breeze made her certain that she wasn't one with the allspark yet. Then how? was she dreaming? was she seeing things?_  
  
 _"What am I? a pile of rusty old parts?" Arcee turned to face the new voice on her other side, optics growing wider by the second._  
  
 _"Tailgate? no, no no no no! this isn't real!" this couldn't be happening, she had to get away from them. Her former partners have come to haunt her, mess with her head. Arcee began backing herself away inch by inch "all this is fake, s-some type of illusion."_  
  
 _"Arcee." CliffJumper coaxed gently resting a servo on her shoulder "does this feel fake to you?" Arcee tensed as he reached towards her, but when the contact was made she couldn't deny the fact she felt actual weight on her shoulder._  
  
 _"We are real 'Cee." Tailgate added, the sincerity in his tone was trusting like a silent promise and made her doubt begin to fade. Perhaps, it was real. Maybe it was okay to believe; even just for a brief moment, that she wasn't dreaming and this was indeed real, the war never happened and her friends weren't offlined in the line of duty for the Autobot Cause to end Megatron's rule of tyranny._  
  
 _Maybe she could feel happiness again._  
  
 _Arcee could feel the coolant enter the corners of her optics as she let herself express a small relieved smile, before the trio knew it Arcee was pulling them into a embrace to once again feel their presence enter her spark, a feeling she forgot she lost and was renewed with a warm familiar pulse that resonated deep within all their sparks. CliffJumper and Tailgate's arms reached to form around the small femme to tighten the embrace._  
  
 _They were reunited together again, after being apart for so long they felt whole once more._  
  
 _Once they felt like they hugged long enough they broke apart, each wearing soft smiles at being reunited. Not long afterwards they were talking fondly with eachother, catching up and reminiscing about various things while CliffJumper occasionally joked, which earned light laughs and shaking, yet amused helms._  
  
 _But, with all good things must come to an end. The ground gave out underneath Tailgate and CliffJumper whom let out shouts of surprise, giving away to a cavern. Arcee blinked to find herself in sudden darkness "Cliff?! Tailgate?!" she called out glancing about desperately hoping to catch some sight of them, she'd just gotten her two former partners back; she wasn't about to lose them again. A sudden brightness assaulted her optics as she hurriedly blinked, optics adjusting slowly to the overhanging light as it cast a sickening green hue to it's surroundings. Arcee squinted as a silhouette formed from the darkness and entered the bad lighting, but dread soon filled her as she recognized who was standing before her._  
  
 _"Why, if it isn't Arcee." Airachnid purred out, cocking her held slightly in false curiosity. She walked with an air of confidence about her, whatever plan she had in mind she was certain to succeed._  
  
 _"Airachnid." Arcee's optics narrowed at the mere sight of the spidery femme, knowing if she was here then Cliff and Tailgate were in grave danger to her psychotic ways. "Where are they? I know you have them!"_  
  
 _Airachnid had the audacity to look insulted "oh? not even a hello? I can't believe you think so little of me Arcee, after all we been through. I'm honestly hurt." This was all just a big game to her; terrorizing her victims in the most traumatic ways while deciding whether or not if your are worth adding to her collection of 'trophies'. Airachnid fed off of the pain she caused, seeming to revel it like a warm oil bath and Arcee hated her with a burning passion, wanting nothing more then to end her worthless existence for vengeance and to prevent her from causing more suffering._  
  
 _"Cut the act!" Arcee snapped "or I'll do it for you." Referencing vaguely to the blades concealed in her arms letting the threat sink in."Now, I'm going to ask you again: Where. Are. They?"_  
  
 _Airachnid's gaze lingered on her for a moment longer before she sighed "your no fun. And to think I went through the trouble of making sure they wore the proper attire for the occasion. Boys?" at the sudden call, twin lights turned on to shine on where CliffJumper and Tailgate hung bound to the ceiling with prohibitor cuffs, they were littered with deep acid gashes that still had a plume of smoke coming from them; fresh then._  
  
 **No, n-o no no no nooo! not again! please not again!** _The look of horror that covered Arcee's facial features just made Airachnid all the more delighted, the extra spidery legs protruding from her back shivered excitedly before crawling towards her captives "wasn't what you were expecting?"_  
  
 _Seeming to finally become aware of Arcee's presence, Tailgate struggled against his bonds once more before going limp "please help me!" he cried just as Cliff tugged harder at the cuffs._  
  
 _"Cee help us!"_  
  
 _Not needing to be told twice, Arcee lunged forward. Or at least she would have if she wasn't bonded in chains keeping her tethered where she stood, she didn't even realize when they were put on. Arcee gave a frustrated shout as she pulled harder and harder but to no avail._  
  
 _"Please help!"_  
  
 _"Get us out of here!"_  
  
 _"Please don't leave us!"_  
  
 _"Help! Please!"_  
  
 _Their constant cries for help just seemed to echo in Arcee's mind adding to the fiery need to get free, feeling herself becoming desperate as Airachnid began to loom over them. No matter how hard she struggled the chains would not budge, knowing this Airachnid allowed a sinister smile flitting across her lips, magenta optics narrowing in anticipation "time to pick a partner to save Arcee." She announced, her acid dipped appendages poised and ready to strike. "Will it be 'Dashingly Clever' or 'Infuriatingly Charming'?" nodding from Tailgate to CliffJumper. "Clock's ticking."_  
  
 _"Airachnid," Arcee pleaded, swallowing her pride for the sake of her friends "n-no please, I'll-"_  
  
 ** _CHINK!_**  
  
 _"that's right Arcee," Airachnid called out over her work "begging just makes this all the more fun!"_  
  
 _Screams erupted from both horror and pain as a series of long, quick slashes darted across the cuffed mechs' frames, streaks of blue sailed through the air from every inflicted cut. Arcee struggled all the more fiercely as an anguished scream tore through her vocalizer at the sight of her friends being tortured, a burning anger churned deeply in the pits of her tanks cursing at their captor with all it's rage. If she can just get her hands on Airachnid the other femme would be done for. Arcee swore she'll tear her limb from spider-like limb, put her on the other end of the knife. But the very things that were keeping her in place, every clink the chains made when colliding together just seemed to mock her poor attempts at escaping. The sound; that fragging sound just seemed to mingle in with every scream that rang constantly through her processor like a broken audio clip, never stopping, always echoing and no matter how much she begged for it to end, the spilled energon never stopped flowing.  
_  
Arcee didn't know how how long ago she'd stopped screaming, standing there frozen in shock as the slashes sang through the air ringing hollowly into her audio receptors, hours must have passed before feeling a numbness consumed her as a splatter of blue hit her frame as she barely even flinched.  
  
Those gruesome images faded away when Arcee came to thankfully, but at a price. After being retold of the events of the past few hours Arcee regretted ever giving into the illusion that Technus brought forth in her mind, twisting her memories of her partners into something believable and she fell for it.  _Jack... I'm so sorry._  Arcee thought remorsefully as a pang of sorrow rang through her spark. Jack, Miko and Raf must be traumatized of what they put them through.  
  
 _No, what_ ** _I_  ** _put them through, they're probably terrified of me. Primus! **I'm**  scared of me! what if whatever that freak did to me is still there? I could turn on them again without even realizing it. Is... This... What it felt like for Bee? after what Megatron did?_  She glanced at Bumblebee briefly who was still applying joint compound to the dented walls, unaware of her gaze. Arcee wanted to ask, just to know she wasn't alone in this but the words, they just wouldn't come out.  _No._  She closed her mouth.  _I won't bother him with my problems, he's probably just as messed up as I am. I don't need to give him anymore baggage.  
_  
A trail of bright blue sparks flew about as she angled the welder towards the deep crack adorning the floor keeping her arm steady as her optics traced over the line to keep the alignment precise. Arcee thoughts began to wander back to the darker aspect of the illusion she had been placed in, everything had been perfect, that chance to talk to Tailgate and Cliff again had come to her though it was short lived and fake, so why did everything suddenly turn into a nightmare? was it her mind just trying to punish her for giving into the false reality or a warning? a warning that any happiness in her life will be taken away? Arcee shook her head, she'd thought she was getting pass this; clearly she had thought wrong. If it was a punishment for what she was doing in reality then she sure as frag deserved it, she shouldn't have given in so easily and that was result.   
  
Maybe it was the guilt talking or maybe it was the truth, either way Arcee felt like she deserved those horrifying images that still lingered in her processor. After all, she was good for punishing herself.   
  
  
 ** _~~~~~~DP~~~~~~_  **  
  
Danny grinned eagerly while dusting off his hands to get rid of the excess dust clinging to his gloves, looking up towards Ratchet who shook his head in slight amusement at the story Danny had been telling. "So after going off on Plasmius I got the sudden urge to sneeze, I kept trying to hold it in but Plasmius kept mocking me about the face I was making and BOOM!" Danny exclaimed tossing his hands up for emphasis, probably would've caught Ratchet off guard for if he wasn't talking so animatedly for the past fifteen minutes "giant snot rocket just shoots out all over him! we kinda both just stood there in shock trying to figure out what had happened before I couldn't take it anymore and burst out laughing, the guy's just dripping in my green snot looking like he was covered in Skulker's feces! Plasmius growled something but I don't remember what it was before he stormed off still dripping in boogers. He didn't have any right to be angry with me in the first place seeing it was his fault, he kept attacking me even after I told him I was sick and to leave me alone."  
  
They were nearly finished with their work before Danny had offered to tell Ratchet a story that he was somehow reminded of, if only Ratchet knew beforehand of what it was going to be about he would've declined, but  _nooo_ , he just had to become interested to know why the Ghost Boy kept snickering at whatever memory that was being played in his mind. Primus, whatever brought on that memory Ratchet cursed it to no end. It was probably caused when Danny was describing how the Ghost Zone looked and operated and then brought up the fact how there was a endless supply of non-sentient ectoplasm floating through out the realm before pausing saying it always remind him of mucus.  
  
"I suppose," Ratchet offered, finding it the only suitable answer that other wise wouldn't sound rude. Danny seemed to had taken great, yet demented joy from what had happened to his enemy that day, one could only hope that they would never have to be put through the same experience. A good hour had passed since starting the repairs to the fractures in the pipeline's walkway and had only now finished, being sure to go back over it to make sure they didn't miss anything. Danny hovered a few feet off the ground and stretched his arms far in front of him with his fingers intertwined, a few sharp pops were heard from his spine as it stretched in approval from being in a crouched position for so long.   
  
Everything seemed to be in order, the damage that had happened earlier was near nonexistent now, if only the evidence of fused metal lines adorning the floor wasn't there you would've never known anything happened here. Danny picked up the last of Ratchet's tools and deposited it in it's designated box, and since there wasn't anything else to do down here Danny was just itching to leave, albeit from the first time he'd come down here only to have a jump scare by Bulkhead and was now getting a bit paranoid of the lurking shadows or, it was just to see how the rest of the base was coming along he wasn't entirely too certain but he decided to just go with the last one. "Hey you wanna go back up now? as I much as I like regaling people with stuff in a spooky basement; you know the perfect haunting place for a ghost, I would prefer to be somewhere more lit over this. Don't get me wrong! this  _is_  a nice basement, I know a few ghosts that would love to make this their personal haunting grounds."  
  
Just by the look on Ratchet's face Danny knew he could tell that he was being sarcastic. Ratchet picked up his toolbox and began heading for the exit, Danny trailing close behind. "Fine, only because  _you_  were getting scared." Ratchet responded teasingly causing Danny to scoff.  
  
"Me? scared? oh please. I've seen _tons_  of scary stuff that don't even pale in comparison to a freaking  _basement_."    
  
All it took was for Ratchet to spin on his pede unexpectedly to face him at a surprising speed with a haunting dead look. " _Boo_." Danny was hightailing it out of there before he even knew he could even blink, all that was heard was Danny shouting out over his shoulder "y-yeah you know what? I'll just meet you in the main room bye!" Yup, that was defiantly a tinge of hysteria edging into his voice. Ratchet just shook his helm and continued walking, at least now he didn't have to worry about anymore of Danny's tank churning stories.   
  
Danny chuckled despite himself, playing along with Ratchet's gibe seemed to have at least lighten the grumpy medic's sullen mood which was a point in his book. It made his chest swell in warmth at the small accomplishment for making someone feel a bit better after the experience they'd endured. Flying closer to the entrance Danny decided that he would see if there was anything else he could help out with before parting ways with the team so they could relax, not wanting to overstay his welcome more then necessary.  
  
If only Danny had bothered to stick around longer he would've seen the small forced smile that Ratchet wore instantly disappeared as soon as Danny was out of sight.   
  
The grin that Danny had immediately slipped away upon noticing that he was the only one present in the central room, the sounds of electronics running filled the silence and was devoid of life. Danny gazed around the room from his vantage point high in the airspace on the lookout for something he disregarded until now. Looking upwards he was relieved to find his parents artificial ghost-shield generator was still up in the rafters. But upon flying closer for a better inspection Danny discovered that it had somehow received extensive damage to the point where it rivaled a crushed soda can.   
  
The frown that was present deepen after he pulled it from its perch and turned it over in his grasp, just by going off the looks of it Danny doubted that his parents could repair it, of course they'd pulled off miracle work in the past but this looked like it was ready to go into the spare parts bin until it could go in the shed in the Fenton Works backyard.   
  
 _I should probably just head back now before I end up losing this so it can go back where it goes_. Danny thought dissatisfied knowing with given past circumstances that he had a bad habit of forgetting stuff, if he ended up slipping into that state of mind again today he'll most likely put the wrecked invention down somewhere and lose it. Danny sighed at the garbage that was still in his hands, it was best to return it now since it was on his mind. The sound of someone approaching from the entrance he'd just came through moments ago earned his attention, glancing down Danny saw Ratchet approaching the Med-bay to most likely put the toolbox down somewhere.  _Well here's my chance._  
  
Danny zipped down towards Ratchet's side, tucking the wrecked invention under his arm waiting until Ratchet finished what he was doing before addressing him. "Hey, Ratchet?"  
  
"Hmm?" Ratchet hummed to show that he was listening, not entirely turning away from what he was doing.  
  
 "I just realized that I need to return this thing that Technus stole, they been kinda worried since it went missing and I should probably return it as soon as possible, would you mind opening up the portal?" Danny asked hoping the medic wouldn't be too mad at him given his reluctance to leave earlier.   
  
This time the medic faced him, his expression was neutral so Danny didn't know if that was a good sign or not. "Why didn't you just return it earlier when everyone was leaving?" Ratchet inquired, this drew a light blush to return to Danny's cheeks as he looked away, scratching his neck sheepishly.  
  
"Just, y'know... Forgot."  
  
 The sound Ratchet made was something of chiding disbelief, shaking his head before heading towards the ground bridge station Danny following closely. Fingers poised near a keypad Ratchet asked "Same place as before?"   
  
"Yeah, sure."  
  
Nodding, Ratchet's fingers danced along the keys as he inputted the coordinates, Danny snuck a glance at the screen Ratchet was using over his shoulder seeing a translucent map of the Earth being displayed, upon more inputs of the keys however, the image began to zoom in on the state of Nevada, closer and closer until it landed on a spot in the desert near town but far enough from straying eyes who might investigate the sudden flash of light. Danny turned for the gaping hole in the wall waiting for the transportation vortex to appear, he heard Ratchet mutter something about refueling the energon lines before the sound of the lever being pulled down sounded. Danny only had a few seconds to tense in excited preparation before the expected happened, a burst of life flourished into an iridescent galaxy inside of the ground bridge tunnel.  
  
Holding the invention he needed to return closer to his person Danny headed for the portal, pausing mid flight when he remembered with a pang of guilt at what he was doing. Danny hadn't bothered to go look for the others to at least tell them he was leaving and bid them farewell, it was a pretty selfish act on his part that he should have thought over before rushing into things as usual.   
  
Ratchet noticed his sudden hesitance to leave was returning as he spotted the downcast look that suddenly covered the boy's features, his shoulders sagged in sadness. "What's wrong?" surely Danny wasn't having second thoughts again was he?  
  
"I didn't tell them that I'm leaving," Danny said carefully averting his eyes "I know I would feel a little hurt if someone did that to me and it's kinda late to do it now. So... Do you think you can tell them that I said goodbye?"  
  
After a minute Ratchet nodded in understanding of the simple request, just seeing the ghost teen so down over something like this would be hard to say no to fulfilling this small wish, so he easily agreed. "I will."   
  
The tiny grateful smile that lit up Danny's face made it hard for Ratchet to hide his own but he managed, although barely. The hum of energy surging through the air made the hair along Danny's neck stand on end reminding him it was time to get going."Thanks, remember to call if you guys need anything. Bye Ratchet, see you later."   
  
And with that Danny flew through the portal, the current from the vortex sent shivers to race across his skin from the power it possessed, knowing that if anything was to go wrong with the ground bridge it would end badly for the person passing through it. A spike of apprehension tingled along his spine as the memory of the first portal he had ever entered came to mind and the pain that followed. Reflexively tensing up in preparation for any oncoming pain Danny cursed his stupid paranoia vehemently, nearly missing a distant voice call out "and for the last time it's not called a portal, its a ground bridge!" before the flash of blinding white light flooded his vision.  
  
Danny blinked rapidly once he made through hearing the portal close behind him. Eyes now adjusted he was both surprised and relieved to find that it was still light out, the sun was going to be setting below the horizon soon but at least now he didn't have to worry about rushing home to avoid confinement to the house again. Ignoring the nauseating feeling lingering in his stomach, Danny sighed as a tired smile settled on his face before flying off into the direction of town at a moderate pace, as much as Danny hated to admit it he didn't let on to the others that after what happened he was a more than a bit tired. _Nothing a small nap won't fix_ , Danny reminded himself stifling a yawn as he focused on the town growing in the distance.   
  
The sky was beginning to see faint strokes of pink and golden clouds on it's wide canvas, the air was considerably cooler compared to earlier as a light breeze drifted through white locks smothering them back slightly, he inhaled deeply allowing the crisp air to enter his near nonexistent lungs, exhaling with a small whoosh from parted lips. This feeling; the feeling of flying high above the world below made all the worries he had tying him down to the ground seemed to slip away when he was airborne, they were tiny; like the things on the surface from this height made it easy to forget about anything that was bothering him. The wind that gently stroked his face to the feeling of weightlessness welling up in his chest brought on a sense of freedom that he cherished every time he took flight, the view he had was amazing; what's not to like?  
  
A selfish part of him wanted to stay up here forever, just him and the wind soaring through different skies filled with brilliant designs over different lands that was filled with so much beauty it seemed almost magical, to never set foot on the ground again for once he did, all those problems he'd forgotten would come rushing back to him. But Danny knew he couldn't, he had too many responsibilities tying him down, friends and family that he still cared about. He couldn't just abandon everything; it would be selfish of him, Danny could not just leave his loved-ones behind, he knew he couldn't live with himself otherwise. Soon he will have to relinquish this sense of freedom that flying brought him, but for now he was going to relish in this feeling and enjoy every second.  
  
...That was until a plume of icy blue mist exited his mouth.  
  
 _...Right after dealing with this ghost problem first_. He rationalized redirecting off his original flight path to investigate.  
  
  
 _ **~~~~~~TFP~~~~~~  
  
**_ The cringe of pain that flashed across Jack's face as his mother finished up wrapping his ankle just a little  _too_  tightly was had to miss. Upon arriving home limping up the steps to the front door he paused when he heard a familiar engine approaching, his mother pulled up in the driveway finishing her shift at the hospital early much to his disappointment, having wanted to slip inside to fix himself up before June arrived to avoid her fretful attention, now it was no avoiding it. June noticed his limp immediately and rushed him into the house, the doctor she'd trained to be coming out and taking over. Seating him on the couch she lifted his leg up and gently pulled off his shoe to assess the damage, an eyebrow arched inquiringly when she saw the frost covering her son's foot, curious, Jack leaned forward to get a better look only to frown, the frost Danny had put on there earlier hadn't melted yet making him wonder what the heck was wrong with ghost ice.  
  
Nonetheless, June swept the ice aside and prodded at his ankle experimentally with gentle fingers feeling the swelling surrounding the joint in his foot before standing up from her crouched position to go retrieve an ace bandage from the bathroom, not before ordering him to stay put with a stern expression, Jack knew from experience to obey her when she gave him that look.  
  
After the deed was done June checked her worked over with a cautious gaze, once satisfied Jack noticed a near nonexistent bob of her head before her eyes met his. "So how did this happen?"  
  
Jack felt a bead of sweat run down his neck, the question he'd been hoping to avoid just came into fruition.  _There's no way if I tell her the truth she'll let go back to the base._ Jack thought with a frown. June was more than willing to move to another city if it meant she could keep her child out of harms way, and if she thought the bots suddenly became a danger to them then she wouldn't even hesitate. As much as he appreciated the concern for his well-being, she tended to go a bit overboard with the smothering, even after June promised to give him space Jack saw it in her eyes, when he was struggling with something she just wanted to rush in and help only to pause to stare at him longingly during the few times she remembered her promise. Knowing she was still waiting for his answer Jack quickly strung together a story that would make sense. Putting on a sheepish smile he shrugged.  
  
"I was trying to show Arcee to cut a rug, didn't exactly work out."  
  
June stared at him a moment longer like she knew he wasn't telling the truth, making Jack wonder how much insisting it would take to convince her on his part before his stomach twisted into knots, however that never came to pass as she shook her head in defeat letting out a long exasperated sigh "Jack, you know you can't dance to save your life, you act as if you've got two left feet."  
  
" _Mom_!"  
  
"Well it's true hunny" June continued despite his whine "remember that one time when you were little and you were trying to impress your aunt by showing her you could dance and-"  
  
"Mom, I thought we agreed to never talk about that." Jack reminded feeling the heat rush up into his face at that unpleasant memory, somehow he'd managed to trip over his feet resulting with his pants falling down and no one knew how but he managed to get himself tangled up in them so bad to the point where June had to get a pair of scissors and cut them off of him, he was about seven at the time and the memory still struck a sore spot. It was something that he'd gotten his mother to agree to never speak about ever again; especially not in front of future girlfriends he might have and especially not in front of Arcee, until now anyway. Speaking of Arcee, Jack hoped she was doing alright, she seemed almost haunted when he left the base and despite wanting to help her she just insisted that she just wanted to be left alone. As much as he wanted to; he couldn't disrespect her wishes, but Jack did wish there was someway he could help. Then suddenly he remembered something.  
  
"Hey Mom?"  
  
"Yes?"   
  
"have you met the new neighbors yet?"    
  
June looked at him skeptically "you mean the ones that are renting the Ferguson's old house a few streets down with the strange RV?" Jack nodded in confirmation "no I haven't. Why you ask?"  
  
"Do you  _want_ to meet them?"  
  
"I wouldn't mind welcoming them to the neighborhood. " June answered heading into the kitchen to prepare dinner, looking in the cabinets to see what they had. "Do you want to?"  
  
Jack stood up and tested putting weight on his foot, deeming it was better then earlier he hobbled over to the counter where two bar stools were stationed before proceeding to taking a seat in one to be closer to his mom. "I dunno, I mean- like I wouldn't mind doing so. When I drove past their house the other day I saw a kid staring out the window looking depressed. They looked kinda lonely y'know? Plus the adults looked kinda interesting with the weird jumpsuits they were wearing, it makes me wonder what they do." Of course Jack knew what they did for a living; but it's not like he was going to admit to his mom that he researched their new neighbors like a crazed stalker. A part of him felt like he was betraying Phantom even after he saved them earlier, despite being a pretty much stranger beforehand Jack felt like he was starting to get to know the dead teenager bit better after today, his gut twisted guiltily at the thought. But Arcee wanted more information to be certain who she was putting her trust into, and Jack hated to admit it but she was right. They couldn't just put their complete trust into some random kid they just met a week or so ago, they didn't even know much about his interests, and some of the questions they'd asked him he avoided answering like the plague.  
  
"So you want to try befriending their kid?" June asked with a soft smile before pulling out a box of spaghetti noodles out of the cabinet "that's nice of you, I'm sure they would appreciate it. You want spaghetti for dinner?" receiving a nod June continued to pull out the needed ingredients. "I guess we can go over there this weekend to meet them, how does that sound?"  
  
The mission he'd been assigned wasn't going to be an easy one, but it was one given to him by his guardian who had complete faith in him and he was going to do it to the best of his ability.   
  
"Sounds great Mom." Jack answered smiling "need any help?"  
  
Let the mission commence.  
  
  
 _ **~~~~~~Amity-Park~~~~~~**_  
  
  
"Yes, thank you for your time Detective Smith, goodbye."   
  
After an hour of speaking he could finally put the accursed phone down on it's cradle with a little more force then necessary making it hit it's resting station with a dull click, but it did have the satisfactory effect to feel like he had some reign of control of the situation.   
  
Pinching the bridge of his nose he let out a peeved sigh to express some frustration, answering on and off phone calls for the ongoing investigation concerning the break in that took place at Axion Labs located in Florida had been fruitless in trying to figure out who was behind the heist, he wondered if the people he'd hired to investigate the matter were complete idiots or if the culprit was just that good. Either way he wasn't pleased at the results. This didn't mean though he wasn't performing his own research.  
  
Witnesses report's from the scientists and lab assistants claimed that whoever they were was precise and experienced; attacking without warning from the security system and most were knocked out before being able to identify their attacker, the few who were able to catch a glance described giant robots were to blame for the destruction of the compound but were immediately cast aside to seek medical attention to check for signs of an concussion or were suspected to be covering for what really happened, the rest were in a unstable condition and it was currently unknown if they would pull through.  
  
He, however wasn't so quick to dismiss these claims, they lived in the day in age where feats in the technology world were made nearly everyday; to touch screen devices, cybernetic limbs, virtual reality gear to helmets enabling the blind to see for the first time, it would't be such a stretch if someone was finally able to build a squad of functioning robots capable of taking people out in a matter of minutes. After all, if the Fentons could build the Ecto-Skeleton battle suit that could be operated from the inside then why couldn't anyone else figure out how to as well?  
  
His gaze wandered to the walls of his study not really looking at anything in particular frowning in deep concentration, the graffiti the detectives found outside of the building said that it looked to be the work of teenagers, it did catch his attention upon hearing this that one of the things being displayed said "Phantom is just a reject," immediately his mind went to the younger halfa. But Daniel was off his radar so far due to the Fenton's not informing him of the trip they were taking, which was unusual to say the least seeing as Jack loved to inform him about everything that concerned his family. But the youngest Fenton's whereabouts would be revealed to him soon once the Vultures he'd sent out to track the boy down returned. But given the direction they headed in when he checked the security feed he had set up all over town showed they weren't heading into the direction of the tropical climate.  
  
But this wasn't Daniel's style he noted; hurting innocents just to get some petty revenge in order to destroy his things to get one up on him. Despite his doubts, he wasn't going to easily brush this aside. If Daniel was somehow involved in this he would find out, there was nowhere the boy could run to escape his wrath.  
  
Regaining his composure from his short break, Vladimir Masters returned to digging deeper on what he could find on his computer for possible leads with steely determination.


	12. Swearing's okay

"What do you mean he left?"  
  
"Like I said Smokescreen, he needed to go return something that ghost had stolen, but he wanted to tell you farewell."  
  
Smokescreen's doorwings drooped in disappointment mumbling "he couldn't just tell me in person." Smokescreen had wanted to talk to the ghost kid for a bit after he had finished off his section of the base with Bulkhead, but come to find out that Danny left sooner than expected. It was only when he had found Ratchet in the Energon Vault did he get some answers. Even if Ratchet said Danny wanted him to tell them he'd said goodbye Smokescreen would have preferred it if was done in person. Smokescreen nodded in silent acceptance before walking out, "I'll be in my room" he called quietly over his shoulder, the tightness in his voicebox was becoming much more noticeable.  
  
"Smokescreen wait," hearing Ratchet's voice suddenly gave Smokescreen pause, it didn't hold that gruff sound that was the telltale sign that he was annoyed with him, it was soft with concern and doubt making his tanks clench at the unfamiliar tone, his anxiety that has been present since earlier was bubbling closer to the surface and Smokescreen could feel the slightest of trembles stirring up in his slacken servos. Did he always tap his pedes this much? he was no longer certain if this was him pretending he was fine or if his nerves were really showing. "If you need to talk to him about something Phantom said to just give him a call." Ratchet said stacking up the needed cubes to refuel the ground bridge in the crook of his arm. Smokescreen nodded but nothing more of an response came from him before he continued on his destination.  
  
Once out of sight Smokescreen felt the trembles growing much more intense finding it hard to keep his hands still even after clenching them into fists. He didn't want the others to see him like this, he just wanted to get to his room without running into one of his teammates, it was clear as day that they felt just as screwed up as he was but it was for the best if there was one less bot to worry about if he acted like today hadn't affected him as much. Smokescreen's spark throbbed with a feeling that he couldn't quite describe, perhaps fear was the closest thing to it; there felt like someone was watching him waiting for him to let his guard slip. He had felt it when they were all gathered in the Rec. room when Danny went to retrieve the phones, when he'd tagged along with Bulkhead he'd had thought that maybe being within the former Wrecker's presence would make it go away, or so he hoped. Now that feeling of apprehension was growing stronger now that he was alone. Were the hallways always this dark or were they growing darker? Smokescreen's cooling fans hitched, the shadows; they were closing in on him.  
  
 _ **Thump Thump**_  
  
Smokescreen didn't know when he'd started running, but the sounds of pedes meeting metal alerted him he was doing so in the growing dark haze that swam in any lingering shadow in the halls, it wasn't long afterwards before he made it to his dorm and let the door slide shut behind him, pressing his back against it feeling the trembles growing worse as they made their way to his legs making it difficult for him to keep standing, the wall behind him was the only constant thing offering stability. Smokescreen's frame shook violently as he fought to get the shaking under control, his optics darted about his quarters searching for the nonexistent threat that might've slipped inside with him, servo slapping against the wall searching for the light switch until it landed on the electrical component and with shaking digits swiped it upwards. The room was engulfed in bright light stinging at his eyes making the pounding in his processor increase before his finger brought the switch lower to adjust it to a dimmer setting. Everything about his being felt off; like he was just as unbalanced as the room was in his tilting vision, Smokescreen wanted to just lie down on his berth and hope that his vertigo would come to pass, sleeping sounded pretty good right now.  
  
Now with a new goal in mind, he  took a moment to gather himself, pushing himself from off of the wall Smokescreen took a few steps in front of him, nearly lurching forward when the world tilted unexpectedly downwards, it was by sheer luck that he even caught himself in time. Flopping onto his berth Smokescreen curled up into himself just glad that he no longer had to move any further, Smokescreen rolled over and faced the wall that offered little to no light hitting the space and let his optics slide shut hoping for sleep to claim him.  
  
The darkness growing behind his eyes was becoming familiar as the feeling of fatigue settled over him, his body was growing lax and his mind grew foggy. The feeling of recharge was just within his grasp.   
  
Visions flashed violently within his processor of false memories that were earned earlier when he was under that ghost's control, reminding Smokescreen of his true fear that lurked deep within, a fear that he kept hidden behind false smiles and enthusiasm from those he'd come to consider as his friends. A strangled gasp tore through his vocalizer as he sprung upwards, optics blown wide as the tried to focus on the blurry image of his room as the memories began to fade Smokescreen once again was raked in trembles. So recharge was out of the question then. "It's okay, it's okay" Smokescreen repeated to himself steadying his shaking voice "I'm still here; at base with everyone else still. No need to get worked up over nothing." Too bad he didn't feel much reassurance from the words.  
  
Talking, yeah talking was good. It filled the void of silence and made him feel less alone, especially when he was he could pretend he was talking to someone, ramble about anything knowing nobody would get annoyed with him for doing so for he was the one he was having a conversation with. But that didn't sound very appealing, Smokescreen didn't want to only hear his voice he wanted- no,  _needed_  a response to combat the darkness surrounding him to solidify that he was awake, that he was still here existing in this time. Smokescreen worried at his bottom lip plate feeling both uncertain and frustrated, his spiraling thoughts were becoming too much to handle leaving his mind in a state of unease, staring at the ceiling wishing his processor to feel as blank at it looked once he rolled over onto his back. Smokescreen couldn't go to his teammates about this no matter how much a part of him just wanted to; Smokescreen needed to go to an outside source.   
  
Well, Danny offered according to Ratchet, but given how quickly he left to return something made Smokescreen question if the kid left for some other reason, like Danny wanted to get as far away from them after what happened. Entertaining the thought further Smokescreen came to the conclusion that it held no legitimacy given how reluctant Danny was to leave in the first place it would be considered counterproductive for him to do it now and disregarded the thought. Danny was good source if any and if he was being totally honest with himself Smokescreen was starting to become fond of the little snot rocket, if not only for the fact that he was the perfect candidate to be on the receiving end of his pranks then for the fact that Danny was fairly easy to get along with, sass aside Smokescreen found that he enjoyed the banter match they had going on, it was something he didn't have with the other members of his team seeing as some of the would get annoyed with him - _cough_ , Arcee and Ratchet,  _cough cough_ \- it seemed that Danny didn't really mind that much and came across as to actually liking the oil vs goop battle when Smokescreen spotted the large grin Danny sported in the heat of it all.  
  
 _Might as well give it a shot, I've got nothing to lose_. Smokescreen raised a servo and activated his com.link, searching his internal hub until he came across Danny's number and dialed.   
  
 _ **Rrriiinnng...**_  
  
Smokescreen wondered if Danny would even answer recalling the last time he rung the Ghost Boy up he didn't really want to talk to him. Would Danny be irritated with him for calling? maybe Ratchet had misheard him and Danny didn't want to talk to them. Smokescreen's tanks churned uneasily with apprehension at the thought, his vents stuttered, he was beginning to feel a bit sick.  
  
 ** _Rrrriiiiiiinnng..... Rrriiiiinnnnng....._**  
  
Danny still hadn't answered, perhaps he was too busy to in the first place. Smokescreen dragged a hand down his face in exasperation; why was he getting so worked over this? so what if Danny didn't answer, it wasn't the end of the world. Sure, that would mean Smokescreen wouldn't have anyone to talk to so he wouldn't feel so fragging alone in the confines of his room which happened to be... Really dark even with the light on... Smokescreen swallowed thickly swearing he just felt something crawl along his spinal strut.   
  
 ** _Rrriiinnng.... Rii-_** _"*Hey Smokescreen- at least I think it's you since it say's 'Smokey' as the caller ID on my phone, it's you right?*"_  
  
Smokescreen nearly leapt off his berth startled at the sound of Danny's voice suddenly coming through, having started to become accustomed to the dull ringing to slice through the silence of his room. Realizing that Danny had asked him a question Smokescreen suddenly found it hard to answer, everything that he wanted to say escaped him leaving his mouth feeling dry. Great, he had wanted to talk to someone and now that there was a person to talk to Smokescreen couldn't find the words to do so.  
  
 _"*Hello?*"  
  
Scrap_, if he didn't say something soon then Danny was going to hang up. He just needed to get his stupid mouth to work. "Ye-yeah, it's me."  _Finally something comes out_ , Smokescreen realized with a wince, since when was it so hard to talk? especially since this was  _him_?  
  
Danny's end grew quiet seeming to detect his hesitation, the light mood Danny had disappeared instantly taking on a much more serious tone. _"*Hey are you doing okay? you don't sound like yourself. I can always turn around and come back if you need me to, just ask Ratchet to open up a portal and I'll be there in a matter of seconds.*"_ The sound of the wind in the background gradually diminished, leading him to believe that Danny must have landed somewhere to talk more comfortably. Smokescreen shook his head, given how long ago Danny left he was probably far enough to be close to civilization plus he was making a delivery run.   
  
"No, I'm doing alright." Smokescreen answered, somehow feeling like he was lying upon denying the suggestion. "Besides, you're still returning that thing Technus stole right?"  
  
 _"*Yeah...*"_  Danny admitted a note of concern leaking into his tone _"*but are you sure? I can get you something like ice cream or chocolate- no wait, that's for Mom and Jazz.*"_  
  
Smokescreen wasn't certain if he was supposed to hear the last mumbled part but he did, but what Danny was talking about Smokescreen wasn't too certain, though one part stuck out to him among the rest.   
  
"Soooo... June's your Mom too?"  
  
A great deal of silence hung over the other end of the transmission, Smokescreen wondered if Danny had hung up on him before a minute passed Danny finally replied.  
  
 _"*...What.*"_  
  
"Well Jack calls June 'Mom' all the time" Smokescreen quickly elaborated "and since you said 'Mom' then means your talking about her right?"   
  
More silence issued before a heavy sigh was heard _"*...Smokescreen you don't know a lot about Earth culture do you?*"_ When Smokescreen couldn't find himself to answer that, Danny continued _"*not everyone has the same parent or Mom in this case, it's like saying your team has a leader and the Decepticons has theirs, but it doesn't automatically mean that both factions have the same leader. So when Jack and I say 'Mom' it doesn't mean that we are referring to the same person.*"_  
  
This just made Smokescreen even more confused as his face pulled into a disgruntled frown, the answer just stirred up more questions "well then how do you even get a mom in the first place?"  
  
 _"*Wha? errr-its... Uh.*"_  Danny sounded like the question had caught him off guard, becoming flustered with his response. _"*Look, I am NOT going to explain 'the birds and the bees' talk. it's already all types of weird and- and embarrassing. I doubt I should be the one trying to teach it to you.*"_  
  
"What does Bumblebee have to do with this?"  
  
 _"*Oh my god.*"_  By the muffled ness Smokescreen suspected that Danny's face now rested in his hands. Smokescreen was starting to get a little irritated, given Danny's reaction he felt like he should already know what the Ghost Boy was talking about, like it was common knowledge but he was just too stupid to grasp it.  _"*Ask Ratchet or Jack's Mom; assuming she knows about you guys. They can probably explain it better than I can. How are Cybertronians born anyway? if it similar to humans than that should give you a basic idea.*"_  
  
Smokescreen frowned in thought "well most of the time we come out of the Well of Allsparks."  
  
 _"*Which is?*"_  
  
"A big hole in the ground leading to the planet's core that requires the Allspark in order to produce life."  
  
 _"*......*"_  
  
"Danny? you still there?"  
  
 _"*Yeah... you know what? you have fun with that. If that's all you wanted then I'm going to hang up.*"_  Danny hastily replied just entirely done with this conversation and wanting to escape anymore awkwardness asap.   
  
"Wait wait!" the conversation was proving to be a great distraction from the storm within his mind, the spiraling thoughts had calmed down for the time being since Smokescreen had someone to talk to, feeling like he had been placed in the eye of a hurricane. Though now with the thing keeping him tethered here was threatening to snap, drag him back into the raging winds wanting to tear him apart from the inside, teetering on the edge of panicking, Smokescreen wasn't willing to let it go so easily.   
  
 _"*What?*"_  
  
"Can you..." Smokescreen trailed off, waving his hand about trying to grasp the right words, knowing what he wanted to get across but the sentences in order to convey them felt blurry and just out of reach brushing past the tips of his mental digits. "Can you... can I just talk to you about something? like no judgement or interrupting and just... Listen? maybe this sounds ridiculous or something but I just need to talk to someone. I don't know who else I can talk to about this." Smokescreen drew out a long sigh to settle his nerves, the desperation was rising to the surface and it was beginning to show in his voice.  
  
 _"*Okay.*"_  
  
That one simple word filled him filled him with relief, making the knot in his tanks lessen a bit of the unease that had taken root there. Smokescreen took a moment to collect himself, figuring out what he wanted to say beforehand stringing the sentences together and untangling the jumbled mess that wanted to come out.  
  
"Truth is, I don't know if I'm okay. Ever since I arrived on earth and joined Team Prime I always had this thing bothering me. It's nothing big or anything it's always there and usually I'm able to forget about it after awhile, but... Whatever Technus did to me, I can't ignore it. I keep seeing it everywhere and now I can't sleep."  
  
A moment's pause and Danny still didn't say a word, Smokescreen took it as his cue to continue.   
  
"I don't like the dark, Danny. I know, I know. It sounds like something a Sparkling would say but I'm not afraid of the nonexistent Insecticon hiding somewhere in my room."  
  
 _"*Why then?*"_  Danny prompted gently, no hint of teasing or contempt in his tone but genuine curiosity.  
  
"I don't know," Smokescreen draped an arm over his optics thinking the question over, growing irritated with himself for not having a straight answer "the life I had before on Cybertron wasn't really the best when I was trying to make a name for myself, I didn't really have anyone to talk to- sure there was Alpha Trion but I didn't feel like talking to him about  _everything,_ but he was the only bot I ever had as a friend. And then one day when the cons attacked Iacon I was ready wanting to prove what I'm made of, thinking 'finally here's my chance to get in on the action' before everything faded to black. The next time I wake up I'm on a Decepticon prisoner ship, Primus knows how long I was out for before I managed to get free and sneak into an escape pod. I'm forced into hypersleep for decades. Next thing I know I'm waking up on Earth though everything I knew? that life was life was taken away from me with Alpha Trion along with it. Though here, I'm part of a team led by _the_  Optimus Prime, alongside bots and humans I would like to consider my friends, it felt like destiny. Life on earth is as good as your gonna get. I can honestly say that I'm happy."  
  
Danny still listened silently taking everything that Smokescreen said in, he took it that Danny was mulling it over before making a dull hum in understanding. Smokescreen picked up where he left off.  
  
"But... Sometimes I feel like it's only temporary, that one day I'm going to wake up and everything is going to disappear again, the team, the base, the humans, you, _everything_. I'm just going to be lost and alone drifting into different lives until I lose them all over again. The darkness reminds me of being asleep for so long. I didn't even dream, it was just a fog of pitch black that I couldn't wake up from. So sometimes I wonder if I'm still here..." Smokescreen trailed off before he blinked in realization.  _Whoops,_ he didn't mean to ramble too much. So what do you do in this situation when you didn't want the person you're talking with to become just as worried? laugh it off. "Heh yeah, this is just stupid, sorry I just dropped all this baggage on you. Worrying over something like this is pretty lame am I right? just forget that I said anything."  
  
 _"*If it's something that is bothering you then you have a right to be afraid*"_ Danny said after a moment. Smokescreen could just hear the frown in his voice, the unvoiced pity just threatening to leak through.  
  
So Smokescreen just tried to wave it off "pfft, afraid? I never said anything-"  
  
 _"*I don't like lightning.*"_  Danny admitted, sounding like the confession strained him to do so instantly shutting Smokescreen up,  _"*the bright sudden flashes reminds me too much about the accident- how I died. Sometimes my mind would just click in panic thinking I'm going to die all over again, waiting for the pain that I know is coming until it never does. I'm getting better at ignoring it but it can still catch me off guard when I'm not at my best. So what I'm trying to say is, everyone's got scars that run deep or could be compared to a light scratch, some are in the process of healing while others are still fresh. It doesn't make you any less of a person for having them or weak for admitting them. And I get where your coming from, you don't want to lose those you care about and be hurt in that way again, I don't know what's in store for your future and I can't make you any promises, all I can say is to cherish every moment you spend with your team like it's your last, to live in the now and not fret over something that might not even happen, you can get through anything knowing that your time was well spent with them.*"_  
  
It was quite rare for Smokescreen to be at a loss for words when someone had a conversation with him, but it was bound to happen if you spoke with such honesty like Danny had, which was weird for him seeing as Smokescreen had kinda saw Danny as a rival and maybe Smokescreen was reading in between the lines here but it sounded like Danny spoke from experience, that didn't sit well with him. If it was true then how could Danny remain so positive most of the time? was it a mask like the one he often put up to hide the pain he was in? nonetheless Smokescreen was grateful for the advice and knowing that there was someone who understood, glad that Danny even talked to him. The speech didn't just  _magically_ make his worries go away, they were still there but fainter as he mulled the words over in his head, Smokescreen's conscious may not have been completely convinced but he was willing to keep it in mind. With a grin he could only find one simple sentence to express his gratitude.  
  
"Thanks Casper, guess your not so bad after all."  
  
A snort was heard from Danny as the mood instantly brighten, washing most of Smokescreen's worries away like a tidal wave. Yup, Smokescreen was definitely starting to see Danny as his friend, as weird as that sounded.  _"*Like you're any better Smokes-a-lot*"_ Danny pointed out _"*remember earlier with the oil?*"_  
  
Smokescreen chuckled lightly with a shake of his head, feeling in much higher spirits. "How could I forget?" given how long they spent deep cleaning the Training Room it was kinda hard to ignore the slight ache to his digits every time he flexed them. It would be awhile till he felt like pranking anyone in the near future to the extent that he had this morning. "We still need to get back at Bee after he dumped that glitter on us though."  
  
 _"*Oh... Right.*"_  
  
Danny hesitated Smokescreen noted, he thought that Danny would be all in for some sweet payback against Bumblebee seeing as he kept grumbling in the shower about looking like a vampire from a bad romance novel or something. Smokescreen decided at that point that Danny was an enigma, soon as you thought you had him figured out the teenage ghost would throw you for a loop, finding it best to not make into something it wasn't and drop the topic.  
  
"Hey Danny?" rolling over onto his chassis Smokescreen found a much more comfortable position and settled his head into the crook of his arm, Danny hummed in response. "Do you believe in destiny?"   
  
 _"*You mean like fate and stuff?*"_  
  
"Yeah."  
  
 _"*Then no I don't.*"_  Danny stated with a certainty that made his tanks drop. Smokescreen frowned in disappointment, everyone else seemed to think that way as well given how his team reacted every time he'd would bring it up. But Smokescreen didn't just want a vague answer, he was tired of them. Smokescreen doubted that he could pose a sound argument to change Danny's mind but he wanted to understand why Danny was so adamant, his resolve on the matter was like steel unbending and solid like a well-known fact over reality versus fantasy.   
  
"Why?"  
  
 _"*I don't like the thought of having no control over my future, that everything is set in stone. That everything that's happened is fated, that an event is destined to become reality no matter the outcome. You should control your destiny, not some old ancient prophet or something that spouts prophecies out their butt whenever they feel like it.*"_  
  
"Oh." Well that made sense, Smokescreen never thought to look at it that way with his mind being influenced by the tales he would pick up and read about heroes going on adventures and learning about a great destiny they had to fulfill, to vanquish the evil with their relentless bravery and sweet fighting skills before it concluded to a happy ending. For a long while Smokescreen wanted to be like those heroes, to fall into a role of greatness, to be a legend for others to read up on and admire. But not everything plays out like it had in the stories he was starting to learn, great bots died in the war that still took place today, ones that would never get to live out their lives and receive that happy ending that rested on the last page of the story, one bot didn't have the ability to win an entire war within a week; much less a day. So who was he fooling? Was that why the others disregarded the word without a moment of hesitation?   
  
 _"*But... Maybe for you, it could be.*"_  Danny seeming to had sensed the disappointed frown on the rookie's face continued with a much more encouraging tone _"*if that's something you want to believe in and you have a different perspective on it.*"_  
  
Smokescreen's optics snapped up, surprised at Danny's unexpected response. "Really?" Smokescreen could almost imagine Danny nodding, shooting him that lopsided smile he had a habit of doing.  
  
 _"*Really.*"_  
  
Wow, just _wow_ , he was just at a loss for words which seemed to be becoming an occurrence tonight, but he could honestly say that he felt a lot better than earlier and at this point could just sit in silence and listen to Danny talk without feeling the need to add his input to the conversation, if Danny was willing to listen to his ramblings then Smokescreen wouldn't hesitate to return the favor whenever the Ghost Boy needed to vent.  
  
Danny's light laughter flittered through his com. as the sound of the wind became apparent; Danny must've started flying again.  _"*Heh, no problem Smoke-Bomb, I may just take you up for that offer one day.*"_  
  
"Wait, did I just say that all out loud?"  
  
 _"*Yes, you did.*"_  
  
Smokescreen groaned dramatically much to Danny's delight earning more laughter to come through to Smokescreen's chagrin. Despite meaning what he said Smokescreen decided that Danny could be a real pain in the aft to deal with when he was like this, or at least when he was at the other end of Danny's taunts. "I hate you; you fragging little half-pint," Smokescreen grumbled halfheartedly.  
  
 _"*aw, you know you love me.*"_  Danny bantered back easily knowing there was no real malice  to his words. _"*And hey! I have a reasonable height for my age! not everyone can be a giant robot.*"_  
  
"Of course you are." He replied with a hint of mockery edging into his tone. "So what are you doing now?" Smokescreen asked to change the topic once Danny's exaggerated giggles died down.  
  
 _"*Flying mostly, I ran into a few ectopuses not too long ago and defeated them pretty easily- and please do not ask what those are.*"_  
  
Smokescreen wasn't planning on it, well not exactly. Nonetheless he hummed non commentary to let him know he understood. "Are you nearing your destination yet?" a part of him hoped Danny was so they could end their conversation and not risk becoming a target for Danny's laughter again, but mostly for the fact that he was running out of things to talk about as fatigue was making itself apparent in his processor, optics shuttering unwillingly into murky warm darkness before fluttering open once more, not wanting to slip into recharge just yet, though that was kinda what Smokescreen was going for in the first place when he'd entered his quarters.   
  
 _"*Nope!" Danny said popping the 'p' with his lips "still got at least ten minutes before I get there. Why? you trying to get rid of me?*"  
  
Aw, Danny caught on pretty well. If only he would have earlier then we wouldn't have had to clean our mess up from our DIY Turf war. Well what's done was done._  
  
"Yeah kinda." Smokescreen said through a yawn, deciding to skip any hint of deception and just go for flat out honesty "but mostly because I'm starting to feel the day catching up to me."  
  
 _"*I was going to call you rude buuut it that case, you want me to let you go so you can be princess Aurora?*"_  
  
"Who?"  
  
 _"*Never mind.*"_  
  
"Fine, yeah just one question," Smokescreen agreed "just what did you and Ratchet talk about so he didn't give a wrench sized injury?"   
  
 _"*Just you know, stuff. I took your advice about telling him about the Ghost Zone which had him pretty interested. I also told him about the time I was sick and- wa-wait!*"_  suddenly Danny sounded breathless like he just realized something, an excited giddiness overtook his tone before saying  _"*Smokescreen I really need to let you go, I just thought of the greatest comeback and I really need to call Ratchet before I forget it! bye Smokescreen!*"_  
  
"uh, goodbye?" was all Smokescreen managed to say before Danny abruptly hung up, confused but too tired to dwell on it further Smokescreen let his head drop into the crook of his, surrendering consciousness to the void of sleep in a matter of minutes. Body powering down before a final, content sigh left him.   
  
 ** _~~~~~~TFP~~~~~~_**  
  
Ratchet released a weary sigh upon seeing all the broken electronics he'd dropped littered across the floor, some more broken than prior. Bending over he started the tedious clean up process by picking up the devices and tucking them into the crook of his arm. The others were already starting to retire to their dorms, leaving him alone alongside Optimus whom's digits flew across the key pad for a monitor looking for information on relics. The silence was peaceful allowing Ratchet to unwind greatly, his only hope was that the others were either recharging or indulging in some peaceful activity that allowed them to relax from such a stressful day so Ratchet could enjoy this moment of peace much longer.   
  
He couldn't deal with anymore sullen expressions, Primus knew he was no therapist, nor did have the patience to be fully successful.  
  
It was when Ratchet bent over to reach for the broken datapad that managed to slide under some heavy equipment did his com. link start beeping, alerting Ratchet that someone was trying to get into contact with him specifically instead of just trying to go through the main communication hub. Immediately he drew a digit to his com. accepting the call. "Hello?"  
  
 _"*Ratchet?*"  
_  
 _Danny?_ pausing in his movements Ratchet's processor raced. Why was he calling him? did something happen? was he in trouble?  
  
"Yes?" concern leaked through his tone upon answering, standing upright his optics focused on nothing in particular awaiting for a response.   
  
 _"*Ratchet he... He was...*"_  it sounded like Danny was having trouble reclaiming his breath, perhaps a sign of overexertion? was he being chased? a weired choking noise was heard however faint, questioning in the back of his mind what is was.  
  
"He was what?" Ratchet prompted, all calm was out the window now feeling the tension growing in his tanks once again, Optimus seemed to have caught onto his unease as he spared him a concerned glance but remained quiet however.   
  
 _"*Ratchet.... He- hah hah!- was covered in my-hah!- **boooo-** gers!*"  
_  
Finally Ratchet was able to identify the choking noises as hardly concealed snickers which grew into full blown laughter once the message was delivered, leaving Ratchet to furrow his brows in disgusted anger as the terrible pun reminded him of the story he had been forced to listen to earlier.  
  
 _"*Hah ha ha hah! g-get it? 'cause I'm-*"_  
  
Danny's number was immediately blocked for a few days after that.  
  
  
 ** _~~~~~~DP~~~~~~_**  
  
A few days went by since the incident with the technology obsessed ghost and since then Danny released him and the few Ectopuses he entrapped in the depths of the thermos into the Portable Portal in the basement, (if you could even call it that, it was probably meant to be a small laundry room at best. It had nothing on the lab back home) at first Danny looked it over skeptically; this being the first time he'd even laid eyes on the device because last time he had been lucky enough to find a small tear in reality leading to the Ghost Zone where he none too gently deposited the Box Ghost in there, at Boxy's shocked expression Danny fixed him with a glare and stuck his tongue out right before the interdimensional rip closed for good.   
  
Why was he so skeptical? because the the thing looked more like a toilet, it had a handle and everything, though it was small enough to carry without much difficulty. Danny peered inside of the bowl to find a swirling, sluggish green sea glowing in it's familiar glory. Plunging the uncapped thermos quickly inside, he pressed the release button while simultaneously pushing the handle down. Faint screams were heard before disappearing; the Ghost Zone swirled quickly for a minute even making a gurgling sound that made him frown in worry, but not long afterwards it settled like nothing happened. Danny had to snort at that before phasing through the ceiling to get to his temporary room.   
  
 _The 'Portable Portal Porta-potty' more like it._  
  
During those past few days the Autobots haven't invited him back to base, nor bothered to contact him. Danny walked through the heat of a summer day alone towards the nearest Starbucks to grab a cold drink, his parents had drove off this morning to city hall to get permission to search an area in town that they suspected to have paranormal activity; which would have still been true if they caught him battling the Ectopuses a few nights back. Danny trudged on, sweat perspiring underneath ink black bangs sticking uncomfortably to his skin, short sleeves rolled up as far as he could to feel the near nonexistent wind better, his hair color was like a beacon for the dreaded heat as Danny grumbled in irritation under his breath; why did he even leave the house in the first place? sure the AC broke but it may have been better to sit at home then the hell he was putting himself through. He attempted to fix the darn thing in a fit of frustration but only seemed to had made the matter worse, the AC unit looked nothing like the one his parents built back home so he hadn't the slightest clue as to what he was doing. Don't get Danny wrong, his parents taught him how to fix and build a few weapons but this was like knowing how to put together a bicycle but then was expected to build a motorcycle without the blueprints. Yeah you know that isn't going to work out.  
  
With a huff he wiped away the gathering sweat against his forearm, weaving around oncoming passerbys who looked at him with concern. Danny didn't care in the slightest, just wanting to reach his destination soon so he could rehydrate now that his Ice core was running on fumes to keep him from having a heatstroke.   _Seriously! what kind of idiot leaves the house in this heat!? oh right, this guy!_  
   
There is a reason why he decided to stick to footwork instead of just flying to wherever, a hesitant feeling kept crawling along his spine and into gut for some reason, Danny tried to shrug it off from being in close contact with so many people but it still bothered him.  
  
A smoothie cafe came into view making him come to a halt, contemplating the small place over. Should he keep walking in this dreaded heat and risk passing out to get a frappuccino or should he just stop here while the going was still good?   
  
 _It wouldn't hurt to just take a look around_ , he compromised, tongue grazing over chapped lips to moisturize them Danny pushed the door open and walked into the place, a jingle of a bell sounded upon his entrance, alerting the employees of a new customer. Danny's head was on a constant swivel as he took the place in, it wasn't half bad. Small, but not too crowded giving the cafe a small cozy feeling. It was pretty quiet as well making it a great place for people to relax in one of the many chairs accompanied by a small table to read at, like a few customers were doing now; smoothie cup not too far from their reach. Seeing someone on their laptop made him turn back towards the window.  _Seems like they got wifi here._ He noticed making an impressed noise in the back of his throat.  _At least it got air conditioning, hallelujah!_  
  
Walking up to the counter he snagged a small bag of Cheese Puffs as an employee was coming to place his order, with a quick glance at her name tag Danny found out her name is Brenda.  
  
"Hello there and welcome to 'Smooth Slurp Smoothies'! aka the 'SSS'!" Brenda exclaimed cheerfully with a bright smile, making him wonder if she was always this exuberant or if it was part of the job description. "Here you can create your own exotic smoothie with any ingredient you desire to make what your taste buds yearn for a reality!" Danny's eyes had been trailing over the menu on the black chalkboard hanging behind the counter before his attention instantly snapped towards her, a small conspiring smirk settled on his face, intrigued by this information.  
  
"Anything you say?"  
  
The bright grin Brenda wore faltered slightly seeming to catch the mischievous tone and the defiant, excited fire that burned in his eyes. But it was was back in a instant seeming to take this as a challenge, eyes narrowing, lips quirking upwards to match his conniving smirk. " _Yes_ , as long as it's edible and isn't illegal to have."   
  
That last bit made Danny wonder how many people had tried to smuggle marijuana in here and if any managed to get it blended in without getting busted by the cops, he could only hope that ones that did were using it for medicinal purposes only. "Okay." Danny agreed slowly "Then I would like a kiwi and chocolate fudge blend."  
  
Brenda remained unimpressed like it wasn't her most wildest of orders that she had the pleasure of taking, still her cheerful demeanor remained. "Would that be all?"  
  
Danny threw the bag of Cheese Puffs onto the countertop having been out of sight beforehand, picking it up Brenda rung it up adding it to Danny's tab before handing the bag back to him, but paused halfway when Danny shook his head "I want this in there too." Now that made her cringe, the feeling of accomplishment washed over him as Danny took it as a silent win, trying to mask the victorious grin threatening to split his face. Brenda walked towards the massive fridge and pulled out the necessary ingredients, heading for the blender she added them. In went the frozen pieces of kiwi and chunks of fudge, followed up by the opening of the cheesy snack as he asked her to put the whole bag in. The poor girl looked about twenty years of age; she was too young to die of puking and yet she seemed ready to leave the living plane right then and there _willingly_.   
  
At this moment Danny was finding it hard to feel sympathy, it was just too dang hot and he just wanted his smoothie, anticipating for that relaxing coolness to make the burning heat inside him fade. Once the blender was turned on Brenda fixed him with a worried look "I don't mean to sound rude here but where are your parents kid? cause if your smoothie concoction somehow makes you sick to the point where you need to go to the hospital, they'll need to be there for you." Danny nodded along not really to agree but more in understanding, lips pursed his foot tapped to an unknown tune.  
  
"They're around."  
  
"Seriously?" she asked with a arched brow, "how old are you anyway? eleven? and you're running around town without adult supervision?"  
  
If Danny had his smoothie drink right then he would have simultaneously did a spit take and slam his cup down, growing red in a mixture of embarrassment and annoyance he struggled to get control over his voice. "I'm _fourteen!_ " his voice broke into an unexpected higher pitch,  a telltale sign of puberty being a factor in his life.   
  
Brenda shot him a sheepish look but otherwise didn't bother to offer some form of apology, though he swore he heard her mutter "could have fooled me." Instead she switched the blender off and poured it's contents into one of the SSS's trademark branded cups, sealing it with a plastic lid she handed it over to Danny along with a straw still in the wrapping. After paying the grand total of $5.99 Danny stuffed the receipt in his pocket before unpackaging the straw and pushed it into it's designated hole inside the lid with more force than necessary. Slurping at his smoothie bitterly he left the shop soon after, refusing to stay in the same place as the employee after he was practically insulted for his height.   
  
The jingle of the bell sounded again upon his departure, seeming to resonate a false cheerful atmosphere that Danny just wasn't feeling today. First the Air Conditioning broke, then he had to walk through the heat that the summer was known for, and now he just dealt with the employee Brenda at the SSS. Danny angrily gulped some of his drink, feeling it's chilled contents going down his parched throat bringing his temperature down noticeably, pausing he looked at his smoothie cup thoughtfully before taking a much more gracious slurp. Well at least the smoothie was good.   
  
Danny continued walking without a set destination in mind, his thoughts suddenly shifted to the Autobots as he wondered on how they were doing. The last bot that got into contact with him was surprisingly Bulkhead, surprising because the two hardly talked, and hardly being close to never. Sure they expressed friendly greetings from the few times Danny has been at the base but they never really had a legitimate conversation. Bulkhead had called to update him on how everyone was doing, telling him that the team just needed some time to themselves for awhile before anyone came back to base. It was very considerate of Bulkhead given how no one had bothered to get into contact with him before and after that, Danny appreciated that the giant green bot had wanted to keep him in the loop. Something suddenly twisted uneasily in his gut. Were they still just trying to get over what happened? or did they just pointedly didn't want him around?   
  
Danny's lips found the straw again and slurped his drink a bit anxiously. He hadn't bothered to get into contact with the three teens but it made him question if their access to the base was revoked as well or if the restriction was just limited to him. Jealousy wanted to grow at the thought, nudging at the forefront of his mind like a persistent puppy but Danny forcefully pushed it back down, he wasn't going to get all worked up over something that may not even be true. But that still didn't stop the bit of irritation from the lack of updates on their situation from his supposed to be friends.  
  
That feeling like he was being watched returned, Danny glanced up from his smoothie and took in his surroundings, realizing that he was a neighborhood away from the rental home. Not yet wanting to return to the empty house Danny continued with his walk looking for something to pique his interest. Danny contemplated on taking out his cellphone and calling Sam or Tucker, it has been awhile since he last talked them only to decide against it; he couldn't talk and drink his smoothie at the same time and he was enjoying it too much to stop. Reaching into his pocket Danny pulled out his iPod instead and examined it sadly, the poor device was on it's last legs as the cracked screen flickered hazily to life upon pressing the power button, after his first run in with the Decepticons the music player got crushed some time during the brawl.  
  
Fishing out his earbuds he plugged them into the jack and the placed the buds in his ears, letting some random song play.  
 _  
This is nice_ , Danny decided with a smile, head and smoothie cup swaying with the beat as he continued walking. A burst of cold spreading throughout his body as his Ice core's energy was renewed making the summer heat feel like a distant memory, he still had more than half a smoothie to go and the music that was playing was simultaneously upbeat and relaxing. The day may have started out sour but now things were looking up, it felt like he was taking light steps on sunshine one at a time, a small pleasant smile etched into his face closing his eyes blissfully. Nothing could ruin his rising spirits...  
  
...That was until he turned a corner and disaster struck.  
  
 _ **~~~~~~TFP~~~~~~**_  
  
" _Ughhh._... this sucks! when can we go back to base? do they want us to die? it's too fragging hot for this scrap!"   
  
"Language Miko."  
  
"It doesn't count if it's an alien swear Jack!"  
  
"Oh my freaking god, Miko, my foot may still be messed up but I WILL hobble away just to get away from your constant complaining!"   
  
Raf stood there watching the two teens arguing with an unmoved expression, an ice cream cone in hand as he licked it. He had been expecting this given how calm they've been for the past few days, though even then Raf could seeing the tension starting to rise and now today it seemed they both reached their breaking point.  _It was bound to happen_ , Raf mused silently continuing to eat his ice cream cone, given the bot's silence and the summer heat it was inevitable. Everyone had been feeling irritable and sweaty so Raf had suggested the idea of getting ice cream which they agreed to, stopping at a local Ice cream shop Miko had chosen a scoop of Rocky Road and Bubblegum each, Raf chocolate and Jack ordered a simple vanilla which _of course_  Miko just had to make a snide comment about. They were heading back to Jack's house before  _it happened_.   
  
"Jeez Jack, where's your cane? cause you sound like an old man!"  
  
"Miko I swear-"  
  
"Oh! so now  _you're_ going to swear? what, it's okay for you to do it 'cause you're an upstanding senior citizen of the community?"  
  
"Miko-!"  
  
"FIGHT ME OLD ME OLD MAN!"   
  
Oh and it was still going. Raf wanted nothing more than to plunge his entire face into his ice cream and drown out the two's constant bickering, barely acknowledging the sound of a car engine cutting off. Their personalities would clash at unexpected times, other times they could get along fairly well. Jack was level headed and easygoing, but can turn into a force to be reckoned with when the time called for it; like water. Miko on the other hand was like an excitable flame refusing to be tamed, burning bright when she did something she enjoyed doing, hot tempered at times but could also be warm and gentle. Both personalities weren't necessarily bad but when they got like this? it made Raf question why he decided it was a good idea to hang out with them today.  
  
A rough shove to his back nearly had him face plant if he hadn't steeled his legs in time. "Out of the way loser."   
  
Raf turned to face them, a sharp retort on the tip of tongue "yeah well-!" the comment died when he recognized the shaggy red hair, sharp jawline and the familiar navy green jacket, Raf froze; realizing his mistake too late.  
  
The taller boy whipped around to face him, a sneer already settled on his face as he towered over him hands flexing into tight fists, eager to beat someone up now that the opportunity presented itself. "'Yeah well-' you'll what pipsqueak?" Raf took a cautious step back, eyes darting about looking for something else to focus on which proved pointless once they met the other's eyes.   
  
"I uh...I didn't..."  
  
"' _I uh...I didn't...'"_  the red head mocked" what? you don't have the guts to finish what you started?"   
  
"Hey! leave him alone Vince!"  
  
Vince, scowled and looked beside him towards where Miko stood with her hands on her hips fixing him with a glare, Jack standing next to her wearing a stern look of his own. Raf couldn't help but huff a breath of relief feeling his mouth twitch upwards, at least he could depend on those two to put their differences aside when he needed them most. Standing to his full height Vince smirked, stuffing his hands in his pockets, radiating a confidence that was bound to cause trouble. "Relax Money Girl, I'm not here for Esquivel anyways, " Vince assured eyes fixing directly on Jack "I'm just here for my ol' pal Jack."  
  
Sauntering his way over Vince's smirk grew more vicious, Raf noticed the slight tension rising in the raven haired boy's shoulders as his eyes became more narrow.  
  
"So Darby," Vince addressed "where's the ol pedal bike? from the looks of things you injured yourself trying to perform some kinda stunt. What? tried to do a wheelie in front of some girls and failed?" Seeming to find amusement from the look on Jack's face Vince snorted "typical; probably trashed that hunk of junk you call a motorcycle in the process too."  
  
Of course he just had to notice the ace bandage wrapped around Jack ankle. Jack however didn't rise up to bait, making Raf's respect for the sixteen year old grow. "Is that all you wanted Vincent? we got some where to be right now."  
  
oh, the use of his full name seemed to have struck a nerve. "Like you losers actually have plans." Vince chided.  
  
"Um first of all we do." Miko cut in "and we don't have time to be dealing with fraggers like you."  
  
"What did you just call me?" Vince demanded, sounding a mix of angry and confused at the unfamiliar slang.  
  
"A dirty little fragger in case your earwax clogged ears couldn't hear it the first time" Miko added smugly making the older boy's face become red with anger.   
  
"That's not what you said the first time and you know it."   
  
A flash of movement caught Raf's eye looking to see a person come around the corner. A teenager with inky black hair, pretty average in appearance though he looked like he was trying to be your stereotypical cool kid, earbuds jammed in his ears with a smoothie cup in hand, the kid walked with there being an almost strut to his step.  
  
"Well it's not my fault that your ears are broken."  
  
"Why you little-"  
  
Painfully oblivious to the argument going on around him. The image would have been perfect if the kid didn't suddenly trip over his own two feet with a surprised yelp, crashing smack into Vince getting his smoothie all over him drawing out a startled shout from the latter. Raf stood there gobsmacked his mouth hanging open, the event made Miko shut up and Jack stood there looking both surprised and concerned, Vince stood there staring at his ruined clothes in disbelief, mouth opening and failing to produce other than the gasping sounds that that sounded like a fish out of water. How do go from suave to train wreck in a matter of seconds?  
  
  
 _ **~~~~~~DP~~~~~~**_  
  
  
Danny yanked out his earbuds shutting off the music he was listening to as his mouth hung open in shock, his smoothie cup lost all it's contents and was now upon an older teenager like an unwanted accessory, and given the look on his face the boy was less than pleased. "I-... I'm so sorry dude, I wasn't paying attention and err, well..." Danny apologized eyeing the wasted drink concoction with his arms poised at his sides uncertain on how to help. "I can go find some napkins?" he offered lamely. The other wasn't having it.  
  
"Look what you freaking did to my shirt you twerp! it's ruined! what the heck is this garbage!?" the redhead yelled pulling at the stained articles of clothing away from his person with unbridled disgust, pieces of of orange could be seen among the sewage colored sludge and now that Danny really thought about it the smoothie honestly didn't look so appealing anymore.   
  
"Cheese puffs?"   
  
"What kind of loser would drink this crap? oh, the  _freak_ who just happen to run into me seems to be a likely suspect." The guy sneered, Danny scowled. So it was just going to be one of  _those_ days, huh?  
  
"Hey! I said I was sorry, what more do you want?"   
  
"How about a little payback? that sounds very appealing right now, a fair price in exchange for what you did to my shirt." Was he threatening him now? oh, apparently so now that his fist connected with the palm of his hand for the cliche 'I'm going to pummel you until you start begging for mercy' move. Danny decided right then and there that he didn't like the guy, not only was he giving off class A jerk vibes but the uncanny resemblance to a  certain redheaded, green eyed freckled basketball player who was his personal stalker (Paulina and her cult of fangirls aside) instantly left a bad taste in his mouth.    
  
"He obviously didn't mean to Vince." Came the all too familiar placating voice made Danny freeze like a gunshot had sounded, he briefly wondered in that moment if Clockwork was feeling bored in that tower of his and decided to play with the time stream for a few seconds to amuse himself for the world seemed to have slowed for a moment as his heart skipped a beat before pounding into overdrive, drawing everything into sharp focus like an electrocuting jolt. "Just let it go."  
  
"Stay out of this Darby."   
  
 _You've GOT to be kidding me._  
  
Peering around Vince Danny's eyes widened comically. Not only was the one and only Jack Darby just standing a few feet away but Miko and Raf were here as well, though the looks they were giving the redheaded nuisance spoke volumes about how they felt about the other, Danny could tell the guy was giving them a hard time before he even came along. That thought alone seemed to quell a bit of his rising panic of them recognizing him.  
  
"Cause you're going to hurt that kid if I don't?" Jack pointed out, something dark tinging the last spoken words ringing out a promise of an unspoken threat. At any other time Jack would have put up with Vince's aggressive behavior, taking the abuse for all it was worth but today wasn't the case; not only did Vince threaten his friends but was now threatening some random kid who honestly didn't mean to run into him which was a giant  _'no'_  in his ethics book. Hanging around the bots so much made him learn to be a better person, inspired him to be one, to stand up for what was right and for those who couldn't do so for themselves. Jack refused to sit idly by knowing that there was something he could do to help. "I don't think so. You're going to leave him and us alone."  
  
"What? did you finally grow a pair Darby? you a big strong man now? huh?" Vince asked walking over and shoving Jack harshly in the chest, hard enough for an audible thud could be heard when the impact had been made. Jack had already expected as much and had steeled himself beforehand anticipating the force taking a bit of satisfaction from the flicker of surprise on Vince's face which gave away to scowl. "what are you going to do if I do?"  
  
"You'll seriously regret it."  
  
Danny, having avoided looking directly at group of teens he somewhat considered as his friends now snapped his head up towards Jack, taken back by the chilling tone the words were spoken with. All for a kid they didn't (well  _completely_ ) know. A strange feeling of warmth fluttered at the center of his chest making him feel lighter on his feet, a quick glance at the ground assured he was still grounded. The fact that someone was so willing to protect him instead of the other way around just struck something in him. Appreciation? relief? the fact that there was still hope for humanity for being good? Danny wasn't certain of what he was feeling but he knew it was positive, and the determined looks of Raf and Miko meaning that they stood with Jack on that statement just added to it.   
  
Vince otherwise remained unmoved giving a snort, "I seriously doubt it, you losers aren't the most fearsome idiots I've ever run into."   
  
Danny watched him, eyes begging to let the ectoplasm burn within sky blue depths, to intimidate the older boy seeing as the little trick worked well on Amity's bullies but held back, didn't need the others catching sight of the familiar green glow they witnessed multiple times a few days ago and put two and two together. Nonetheless, Danny didn't plan to just stand by while Jack defended him, it seemed the three needed some as well and what better way to go about then taunting their tormentor? he felt it was time to return the favor. Danny could barely contain the sly grin that wanted to split his face. _Embarrassing the jerk it is._  
  
"I have to agree with ol' Vincey on this one," Danny cut in propping both hands behind his head closing his eyes in a lazy matter, missing the surprised and confused looks everyone shot him at the unexpected commentary. "After all, the only 'fearsome idiots' he ever ran into was himself, scaring himself so bad that he hid under his bed for a week." Danny responded nonchalantly.  
  
 _Three...Two, one..._  
  
"Excuse me you little punk?" Vince whirled on him completely livid that the kid before him had the nerve to make a wisecrack, growing more annoyed once he heard Miko's snickers which only added to Danny's fire.  
  
Cracking an eyelid open Danny glanced at him before making a disgusted face "yes,  _excuse_  you after you just ripped one like that. Or was your mouth? either way I can't tell since they both spout the same thing anyway." Miko was outright cackling at that point, Raf was smiling and even Jack was cracking a grin. Danny grinned broadly and cocked his head curiously to the side at Vince, whom's fist clenched tighter in preparation but never swung; at least not yet. Instead he smiled back, forcing a calm appearance outward trying to appear like he was still in control, a fight he was slowly losing. The guy wasn't known for his patience.  
  
"A wise guy huh? I've never really liked the type."  
  
Danny arched an eyebrow "why?"  
  
"Because they're all talk and no fight," Vince edged closer to him, breaching his personal space bubble like the guy never even heard of the word, out of the corner of his eye Danny could see Jack stiffen ready to step in even with a sprained foot. Vince leaned down, to the point where Danny could distinguish every freckle that marked the guy's face, his breath tickled his nose, the faintest scent of hot dog marred the exhale. "And once you take that away from them there's nothing but a coward in their place." A deadly whisper with the promise of pain was his only warning before Danny ducked to the side to miss the punch that would have landed square in his jaw, but the assaulting fist didn't stop there, the device must have caught Vince's eye for the next thing Danny knew Vince had slipped his iPod from his pocket and threw it behind him carelessly, a smirk tugged the redhead's lips upwards when the fated  ** _crack_**  sounded upon hitting the pavement. Danny stood there, mouth agape in shock at the turn of events, the others looked to be in the same state as him of what transpired. He knew it was going to happen eventually but so soon? shock gave away into anger and Danny knew for a split second that his eyes flashed that radioactive green. So how did Danny react to this? well he sure was going to regret this later but in his defense; the jerk totally deserved it.  
  
He threw his empty smoothie cup at him.  
  
It clipped Vince on the side of his face; despite originally aiming for the front Danny took it as a win.   
  
Danny's victory was short lived however when suddenly he found himself being abruptly yanked up by the collar of his T-shirt letting out an indignant yelp, feet dangling off the ground hearing Jack and Miko protest behind him as his narrowed defiant crystal blue eyes met angry forest green, almost missing what the other muttered before he could process what was happening.  
  
"Let's go shrimp."  
  
Somehow Danny had gone from hovering over the sidewalk by the helm of his shirt before being roughly tossed through the open passenger door of someone's car. Danny grunted upon impact, squeezing his eyes shut from the rough treatment trying regain his bearings, through his slight daze he could of swore he heard the others shouting but he couldn't make out what, the sound of the other door opening before closing met his ears and someone sitting down in the seat next to him, Danny, in his confused state wondered what the heck was going on. A jingle of keys sung through the air, his only warning for what was coming. A ferocious roar sprung to life from the engine of the car he was in made Danny's eyes shoot open, awareness of the situation unfolding seeping into him like molasses. Surely Vince wasn't planning on driving off with him?  
  
"Vince! I swear to god if you don't let that kid go I'm going to call the cops!" the voices became clearer slicing through the rest of his confusion like a knife. Danny glanced up towards the person sitting in the driver's seat from his sprawled out position, Vince just seemed to ignore Jack's threat and his questioning gaze. The smirk the other wore was unsettling though it was nothing compared to the ones his countless enemies loved to sport it still left him with an awful feeling, something he couldn't really place.   
  
"Put a sock in it, will you Darby? I'm just taking the kid for a spin around the block so he can learn somethin' that his parents obviously didn't teach him."  
  
"My parents taught me plenty of things!" Danny shouted, immediately becoming defensive as he tended to do since kids always wanted to bully him for what his parents wanted to pursue as a career, Ghost Hunting. All that anger from then came rushing back to him in that moment to come up with the perfect comeback "like stay away from guys like you that the parents  _obviously_ forgot to use protection on!"  
  
"Well your parents are doing an awful job at it." Vince snapped at him, hands gripping the steering wheel much more firmly as he tested the Duralast pedal experimentally beneath his foot, earning an eager rumble from the car.    
  
 _Reckless_. That was the word, disregard for his own and others safety was what that look in Vince's eye meant.  _Another reason as to not like him_. Danny scowled at thought, preparing to re-right himself so he could figure out his next move which consisted of A: open the passenger door and flee, B: insult Vince, C: assault Vince, or D: all of the above. That last option was sounded pretty tempting right about now but before he could he even fall through on any of those options, the car lurched forward with a jolt, tearing up the street in skid marks for what was deemed a fast getaway and sped off into the unknown; throwing Danny harder against the seat from the force.   
  
"Did Vince just kidnap that kid!?"   
  
That was the last thing he heard from the group before the car sped off around a corner, at a speed that was bound to be illegal as he dug his fingers into the leather seat. Danny was used to going at such speeds when he was either flying or was in the RV with his Dad (well even faster than the current pace they were going at) but when there was a maniac behind the wheel controlling where they were heading and he didn't have the reinforced exterior and interior of said RV to protect him from the inevitable crash then he had the right to rip that seat to shreds in his death grip if he wanted to.   
  
 _Why can't I ever just go a day living a normal life?_


	13. A JACKED up Situation

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> First of all, I would like to apologize for such a massive wait in for this chapter. Everything was just going awful in 2017, to catch everyone up in recent events, Mom is officially out of the house for what has been a year now (she really messed up my education so now I'm trying and struggling to catch up in school in a timely fashion but its not going as planned so I'm ultimately stressed out over it all), my cat, Bluestar ditched me for 3 months to the point where I thought she was dead and by some miracle I found her ALIVE smelling like bat poop, so I was really depressed over that for a good amount of time that made all inspiration I had plummet into nothing. My neighbor's 3-year-old daughter drowned in her pool which was basically in our backyard, I still feel like crap over the fact that I wasn't able to help or prevent that from happening, I had nightmares for months after that which totally sucked. I also lost the password for my FF account so I couldn't respond to you guys, whoops. I've been having to help my dad out in any way possible so I'm really spent. A hurricane hit during 2017 doing a considerable amount of damage. And overall, this chapter was really hard to crank out, I've been trying to work on it since August 27 of 2016 but the words always escaped me. This chapter probably sucks but I felt like I should get SOMETHING up for you guys since its been so long.
> 
> Ughhhh, this chapter feels so bland. I also started some new fanfics that helped me get my focus on this one again so I'll hopefully post them here soon.
> 
>  
> 
> Again, sorry for the delay! I hope everyone's still here and enjoy's it nonetheless!

Loud booming music with a deep bass resonated throughout the vehicle, the vibrations rattled his rib cage uncomfortably as his pounding heart seemed to fall into sync with the tempo that Vince had switched on not too long ago. Danny wanted nothing more than to tune out the aggravating music that grated on his nerves the second it was turned on and the situation itself, but with every jolt the vehicle made when Vince decided to make a sharp turn so he wouldn't miss the next street at the last second, made Danny's blood feel as if it turned to ice, adrenaline pumping more ferociously through his veins making every second appear in sharp focus so Danny could be plagued with this memory in amazing detail.

Not like he hadn't had worse nightmares, but it was the principal of the thing.

The car lurched onto another oncoming street once more, Danny was certain if he wasn't so accustomed to making sharp turns when flying away from enemy fire or his father's manic driving habits was what prevented him from losing the liquefied contents resting in his stomach all over the windshield, the fact left him both relieved and disappointed (As much as he would love to trash the guy's car, the action would most certainly result in them crashing.)

The only enjoyable thing that was coming out of this was that the car had air conditioning, that itself wasn't much of a mercy which meant Danny didn't feel very motivated looking for the positives of the unexpected joyride that Vince was taking him on.

"Don't you think you should  _slow down?_ " Danny managed to get out through gritted teeth, just loud enough to be heard over the roar of music, the muscles in his wrists feeling odd from clinging tightly to the seats for so long in their curled in position. The car jerked again to pass through an intersection just as the light hanging overhead turned green. Danny had to wonder though if they were just traveling mindlessly or if Vince had a set destination in mind, if the latter was the case then just how far was the older teenager planning on taking him? Was it close by? The outskirts of town? A ditch? Cause it was fairly obvious at this point that he wasn't just taking him for "a spin around the block" as he adequately put it for Jack. What? Was that the  _third_ intersection that they passed up now?

Danny glared at the redhead, seeing as he was pointedly ignoring him. "Didn't  _you_  ever learn that you just can't kidnap someone just because you don't like what someone said? Kidnapping's a felony, something the cops are going to bust you for once they show up."

A snort is the first sound Danny hears from him in a while as Vince spares him a quick glance before focusing back on the road. "Oh please, like Darby's  _actually_ going to fall through on that little threat. Not when I got dirt on him, his record isn't as 'clean' as the authorities believe it to be. Especially when I have the evidence to back it up." The car slowed considerably from its insane pace, probably to avoid any speeding tickets since they entered the more well-known area's of town which would most likely harbor traffic cams. Thankfully, Vince chose to finally turn the music down much to the relief of Danny's pounding eardrums.

"Okay, putting your obvious craziness and delusionality aside," Danny stated with a considerable amount of false cheer, though the foul look on his face displayed how he truly felt about what was going on, "just  _where_ are we going? cause if you're planning on booking an international flight or something of that extreme don't think for a minute that I'm going to be a compliant hostage, I'm already having a bad day without you kidnapping me so I'm not feeling too charitable in the forgiveness department."

Something in Vince's expression darkened, not answering as he eyed the next turn contemplatively before proceeding, hands reaching over each other in arching motions to turn the steering wheel making Danny slide across his seat hitting the passenger door with a harsh thud, the action reminding him that he in fact still wasn't wearing a seat-belt.

"Jeez, where's an Amber Alert when I need one?" Danny huffed.

Danny turned to face the passenger window refusing to have to look at the jerk for another minute, blowing messy black bangs out of his face from his tussle into the seat huffily. Unfamiliar buildings flew past him in muted, color-filled blurs and instantly forgetting the few seconds of distinctive details of each one he barely saw, proving that any attempts at pointing out any landmarks so he could eventually find his way back to the rented house, was a fruitless endeavor. Danny sunk further into the seat, throat feeling uncomfortably dry now that he no longer had his drink and realized he should have brought a water bottle with him.

_Or at least my cellphone so I could call the cops myself._  Danny thought bitterly, seeing Vince getting hauled off by the police was something he was sure to get a kick out of. Unfortunately, said device lied forgotten on the floor near an outlet charging. He really needed to do a checklist before leaving the house in the future; what if the bots called? The call he has been waiting for the past few days might have now just gone to voice mail.

"I should have never gotten out of bed today," Danny grumbled, he would have had the house to himself anyway and if the heat became too much to handle then that could have been remedied with the use of his ice powers, turning his temporary bedroom into a winter wonderland so he could catch some more Z's; Clockwork knows how much he needed it. A much more preferred way to have spent his Saturday seeing as it wasn't even twelve o'clock yet and he managed to get himself kidnapped. Jeez, just what was it about him that people thought he was abductable worthy? Did he have an invisible permission sign taped onto his back? He highly doubted that no other kid ever went through the stuff that he did on a weekly basis.

Vince didn't scare him in the slightest- or at least for his own well being. Cujo was scarier at times and the two of them were on good terms. Looking over at his kidnapper, Danny couldn't help but snort, the guy probably thought otherwise given the smug look he wore.

A snide remark of, "Just what I need; another pedophile obsessed with me," was muttered from Danny, just clear enough to be heard if one was paying attention set a surge of satisfaction through him for being so defiant, not that anyone who knew Danny would expect anything less. It was the small things in life that made you feel more alive it would seem.

Apparently, Vince heard it, for the next thing Danny knew his face met the dashboard none too gently when they came to an abrupt stop. Falling back into the seat, Danny uttered a groan rubbing at his face in hopes of diminishing the pain, eyes screwed shut trying to stop seeing stars. "Oh," Vince cooed in false sympathy, "Did someone forget their seat-belt?" Danny never wanted to smack someone in the face as much as he did in this moment. "Time to move it loser, we're here," Vince said before exiting through the car door letting it slam behind him. Danny forced his eyes open and took in his new surroundings, blinking seeing that they were parked in front of a dark alleyway that was sure to harbor a rat colony somewhere.

Danny smiled widely up at Vince once the passenger door swung open. "Aw, are we here to see your rodent family? I can now see the resemblance-oh!" Danny quickly gasped, looking at something behind the redhead and gave a cheerful wave, "Hello Vince's mom! No, I'm not Vince's boyfriend, just the kid he abducted for his lack of friends!" Vince turned in an instant, a scowl settling on his face upon seeing a rat perched atop of a stray cardboard box nibbling on something within their tiny paws, it's missing patches of fur led Danny to conclude that it had mange. The dang thing hissed at them before scurrying off, vanishing from sight. Danny hit Vince lightly on the arm regaining his attention, "Why didn't you just say you wanted me to meet your parents? At least  _then_ I could have freshened up so I could leave a better impression on them."

"I'm getting really tired of hearing your mouth, do you ever just shut up?!"

Danny hummed, faking a contemplative look, "According to public opinion: Nope!"

"Well, I guess I better fix that." Vince leaned down and yanked Danny from out of the vehicle by the front of his shirt and tossed him over his shoulder like a sack of potatoes, drawing a yelp from the indignant hostage.

Danny realized, not for the first time today that Vince was fairly tall. Not as tall as his dad of course, but almost Vlad's height once the guy stood up straight. Vince's bony shoulder dug uncomfortably into his midsection and the blood came rushing to his head. "Hey! Put me down!" Danny shouted pounding his fists into the guy's back with enough force to get his point across. Danny heard the passenger door slam shut behind him, the vehicle was still running which meant that whatever Vince was planning on doing to him he wanted to have a quick getaway afterward.

"Mm, a massage. Thanks for that you little brat."

Vince walked deeper into the alleyway with Danny still thrown over his shoulder kicking and firing insults at the ready. Foul, acrid smells made Danny's nose scrunch up in disgust the further they entered, he couldn't twist his head far enough to see what they were approaching, leaving his upcoming fate unknown. The option of overshadowing the guy was becoming more tempting by the passing second. However, the reminder of what happened recently made him hesitate, robbing Vince of his free will like Technus had done would feel wrong; no matter how much he was beginning to despise the guy.

Suddenly, Danny was being put down on feet, a hand latched onto his wrist holding him in place prevented him from running off. A screech of metal caught his attention as he turned to face what Vince was doing. An eyebrow rose questionably at the sight of Vince opening the lid to a dumpster and peering inside.

"What? planning on going dumpster diving? if you think I'm joining you-" Vince's grip tightened," Wha-? Hey!"

Vince now picked Danny up by the waist, both arms wrapped tightly around his midsection as he edged closer to the giant trash bin, making the situation all too clear for Danny once the pieces fitted together, Danny struggled all the more fiercely, before reaching down towards his foot and maneuvering his leg closer to his person. Vince dropped him roughly into the bin and as a last resort, Danny threw his shoe at him just before the lid came slamming shut. A thud was heard from outside the bin followed closely by a loud, "Ow!" He could only hope that he managed to hit him in the face.

"Yeah, that's what you get jerk!" Danny shouted as he found his footing standing up awkwardly with his head bent low to avoid hitting the lid, making sure his stance was firm on the trash he was standing on Danny pushed up on the lid- or at least he would have if there wasn't an unexpected weight holding it down. "Hey, what the heck!? let me out!" Angry fists pounded against his enclosure as livid eyes flashed a luminous green in the dark, the smell of hot garbage that had been roasting in the sun for hours burned at his nostrils making him want to vomit.

"Just be glad I didn't string you up a flagpole like I was originally planning, you freaking brat!" The response came out sounding slightly nasally like Vince was holding his nose, must have been a result of the shoe Danny'd sent flying; his aim really was getting better. "Let's see if your attitude changes now that you're in there, or not, you're probably feeling right at home since your trash!" Vince sneered, "well, later you half-pint looser." Heavy footfalls began to tread away from the dumpster that Danny was temporarily stuck in, fading fainter as Danny strained his ears to listen through the wall of metal in his way.

"You're not seriously going to leave me here, are you? Vince? Vince! Don't you dare walk away from me, I'm not finished with you! Vince! You still-" the sound of Vince's car peeling down the street letting his screeching tires cry against the asphalt echoing behind him was heard-" Aaannnd he's gone, great." Danny pinched the bridge of his nose in irritation, sighing. For some reason, he was getting an odd sense of deja vu like he'd been in a situation like this before, but it was vaguely different like the roles had been reversed. Danny waited for a few minutes in case Vince returned, sitting in the dark bin trying to ignore how hot it was in here, the glow from his eyes disappeared as his anger faded, breathing a weary sigh. Minutes came to pass and it was apparent that Vince wasn't coming back anytime soon.

Just what the heck was wrong people nowadays? Why did he just had to be the one to attract all the crazy nutcases?

"I better get out of here before I look like an ectoplasmic omelet from this heat," Danny said with a note of bitterness, wiping away the gathering sweat on his forehead as he made to stand once more. Intangibility washed over him in an instant letting any garbage clinging to his form to drop, he peered his head out through the side of dumpster checking out his surroundings before the rest of him followed. Curious as to what Vince had placed on top of the dumpster in the first place to prevent him from getting out, he glanced up. A large box sat atop of there filled with soiled old newspaper. Heavy enough to keep a person in there for the time being unless they kept banging against the dumpster it would have eventually slid off.

"Huh, I guess Vince isn't that much of a sociopath as I originally thought," Danny mused scratching at his temple absentmindedly, "that or he didn't want to be put away for murder." Turning on his heel Danny retrieved his shoe and booked it out of the alleyway, not wanting to stay in that urinary smelling area for a moment longer, walking onto an empty street and walked towards the direction he presumed Vince took him from.

Not long after he came to an intersection. Danny's face scrunched up in confusion, "Okay, I officially have  _no_ idea where I am." Danny drawled looking about for anything that seemed familiar. "Maybe I should go this way?" Danny trailed off peering down a street looking for any buildings he'd seen previously but nothing caught his eye so instead, he looked down the next one, "Or maybe that way?" Neither street looked very promising but Danny didn't have all day to sit around and risk a heat stroke without proper hydration. In the end, Danny chose the first one and began his walk in what was hopefully the direction of something he'd visited before.

Fifteen minutes later Danny found himself at a highway, trying and failing to mask his scream of frustration. "Alright, get a grip Fenton! it's not the end of the world," Danny reasoned with himself after a few calming breaths, "if you can't find something familiar in the next ten minutes, you can always go ghost and do an aerial sweep." A burst of cold exited from his core chilling the sweat on his skin bringing his temperature back down by a few degrees making him feel like he just walked past an open freezer door, the sensation was a welcomed one and it helped calmed him down. Only one thing to do now- Danny could physically feel his non-athletic side beginning to moan in anguish- was to start walking.

Barely taking five steps forward, the sudden feeling of being watched returned, Danny paused mid-step, looking about cautiously. There was no brushing aside this feeling now.

The highway wasn't very busy and the few people traveling about on foot didn't spare him a second glance. Danny swallowed down the lump forming in his throat performing a full circle trying to figure out who was following him, before finally landing on the car parked at a street corner using the few trees that grew there as coverage making it hard to distinguish its paint color. Danny's ears could pick up that the motor was still running, ready to trail him as soon as he started moving again. He felt his heart skip a beat as his pupils shrank to tiny pinpricks, before pounding into overdrive like a startled hare on the verge of death. Thoughts flew past the forefront of his mind in an uncontainable panicked rush. How long have they been following him? Did they see Vince kidnap him? Did they see him using his ghost powers to get out of the dumpster?

_I need to get away from here, NOW._ Danny quickly looked away from the vehicle and turned slowly, eyes scanning the area rapidly searching for a possible escape route. The highway led up into a bridge and over a dry drainage canal, he could hide out down there or possibly use it as cover to transform.

_Run, no wait don't, I can't let them know that I spotted them. Just act like everything's normal and walk slowly. Walk- nope, nope! they're coming! screw this!_ Any attempt at normality was ditched once the thought processed, a stiffly paced walk turned into a brisk jog which in turn developed into a full-on sprint. Thankfully, the sidewalks and roads offered very little activity going on making it easier for Danny to maneuver through any oncoming passers-by. The vehicle was gaining ground Danny discovered upon hearing the car's engine grow louder, he didn't dare look back and risk throwing off his momentum. The canal was a good place as any to get away from his pursuer or at least throw them off his trail with the use of invisibility, or they might even stick to the top of the ravine, but given all the trouble this person was going through to stalk him Danny highly doubted it.

Danny's human side of endurance has improved a bit due to the workout training Sam expected him to do, which he was slacking off of now since Sam wasn't on this trip to nag him. Thankfully the endurance he built up hasn't suffered due to his reluctance for the training. His feet now flew across the pavement, the familiar practiced footfalls helped him from tripping over his own feet seeing that he felt more clumsy as a human, for he felt more attuned with movement when it came to his ghost half.

In no time, Danny was stumbling down the ravine as his momentum threw him off balance heading at a downward incline, sneakers sending up a shower of dirt when he unexpectedly started to slide for a bit before making it into the canal, running off to hide in the shadows that the bridge overhead provided. Sweat slid down his temple as he fought to reclaim his breath, his aching lungs felt like they were on fire as he tried to gulp down as much oxygen as possible, trying not to let his thoughts spiral out of control from the icy feeling of dread piercing his gut.

Before he could even begin to sort out his thoughts or activate his invisibility the rumbling from the car chasing him grew even louder, tires squealed against the pavement like they were gaining speed. Danny's eyes widen fractionally, they weren't really going to-? suddenly the vehicle no longer sounded like it was grounded.

A shadow of a car hovering over the pavement of the canal that  _definitely_  wasn't there before appeared making Danny's heart clench painfully and his pupils zero in like tiny pinpricks. However, his panicked thoughts came to a grinding halt when the sound that suddenly pierced the air like a newly released arrow stirred up a recent memory.

_**Chrr-chrr chrr-chrr Chrr.** _

A heavy thud sounded across the concrete, thankfully, not with enough force to leave a crater in their wake. Gears and various pieces of metal shifted into their alternate position adjusting to the machine's now biped form, Danny could now see the vehicle's color scheme as bright yellow armor glimmered in the afternoon sun, a yellow helm rose from its bowed position having familiar glowing, turquoise optics meet very wide astonished eyes.

"Holy crud, Bumblebee!?" Danny's chest felt like a million butterflies suddenly exploded into a swarm of mixed emotions, as much as he was relieved that it was Bumblebee instead of some shady organization like The Guys in White trailing him, this just brought on another set of problems. Shaky hands ranked through messy sweaty locks of hair as the teen struggled to reclaim his breath. "Jeez, you almost gave me a heart attack! do you just stalk people in your free time or did someone put you up to it?"

Bumblebee ducked further underneath the overhanging bridge not wanting to risk anyone peering over and spotting an alien robot that  _definitely_  wasn't supposed to be there before offering a series of beeps and gesturing animatedly to go with the flow of conversation.  **"Neither, unless it's for the Decepticons. I was just wondering when you were going to explain the ghost thing, I tried calling but you didn't answer. When I saw you around town though, I decided to follow you."**

"And just  _how_ exactly did you know that I was the right person you were looking for?" Danny threw in crossing his arms in irritation. Being followed wherever he went just brought up bad experiences, it never ended well and it was straight up creepy. Danny liked his personal space which also entails a _lone time,_  thank you very much.

**"It was made pretty clear that it was you when you phased out of that dumpster Vince dropped you off in. Speaking of which- why did that happen?"** Bumblebee buzzed quizzically, he had lost Danny around a street corner and found him getting tossed into Vince's car like he was some kind of luggage and despite wanting to say a quick hello to Raf upon seeing him, Bee had deemed it more important to tail Vince and get some proper answers after a few days delay. He'll make it up to Rafael as soon as he got the chance, Primus knew how much he missed him due to his absence in the boy's life.

"Hey! he started it not me." Danny stated defensively, "Because of him, my six dollars went to waste," He paused gaining a contemplative look, "But I guess it went to a worthy cause. By the looks of things, he was trying to cause trouble with Jack, Miko, and Raf before I came along." Bumblebee made a low, unintelligible buzz and nodded, the displeased noise alone gave Danny some insight that the situation with Vince wasn't anything new. Great, he could become a constant pain to deal with in the future for however much longer Danny stayed in Jasper. "As for  _why_ I didn't pick up, it's not like I was ignoring you, I forgot my phone where I'm currently staying." He explained further stuffing his hands into his pockets. "So yeah..." Silence filled the air afterward once Danny ran out of things to say to stall for time, and the expectant, yet patient look Bumblebee donned wasn't helping.

Danny scuffed the heel of his shoe into the ground unable to meet the Cybertronian's eyes as a sense of bitterness washed over him. Why did Bumblebee have to come  _now_ of all times? He still hasn't mentally prepared himself fully with the fact that there was someone else who knew of his Half-Ghost status, this could still turn out horrible should Bee decide to betray him. It just wasn't fair, revealing his most guarded secret should be a choice, should he and the bots earn each other's trust completely Danny would've considered telling them the truth. But  _no_ , the freedom to choose was suddenly being ripped from him like a pulled out rug from under his feet leaving him stumbling to grasp at the pieces to make sense of everything. He was learning to accept that some things in life were just out of his control, at a slow pace as it was. Danny knew he was passed the point of just suddenly having a meltdown, but he hasn't moved past the 'brooding in fits of anger' stage yet.

Danny inhaled sharply; if all this turned sour there was always Amity Park, or you know, fleeing the country was an option in more drastic measures.  _Here goes nothing._

"So, you wanna know my backstory?"

**"Not how I was originally going to word it but sure, whenever you're ready... _Sam_."**  Danny never thought he'd ever heard a robot sound so smug and what he was referencing to made Danny want to kick himself. There was a smirk to Bee's optics as he stood there with his fists resting on his hips. **"So you wanna talk and I drive?"**  he offered, Danny frowned contemplatively before nodding which was all the invitation that Bumblebee needed to spin on his heel and transform into vehicle form- _very flashy_  Danny may add like it was Sailor Moon up in here- and proceeded to pop the door open, Danny promptly entered sitting in the passenger seat as it closed shut.

Bee headed back up the ravine and proceeded to drive along the road like nothing happened, Danny trusted Bumblebee enough to know where he was going cause Danny sure as heck didn't. Suddenly, a wicked grin found itself slowly growing on his face as Danny looked over to the steering wheel- assuming that's where Bumblebee's conscious laid.

"Well buckle up for the story you'll never forget," Danny announced cracking his knuckles, and if Bee thought the pun wasn't bad enough then what came next was something entirely out of left field.

"It all started when I was born in a small town in Gimmelshtump..."

**"What the Frag?- like, can you not?"**

An amused cackle could be heard from a yellow Urbana 500 as it drove down the road letting the very few onlookers to observe with raised eyebrows, a few shook their heads before carrying on with their business while others kept on staring off into the distance until the car disappeared from sight.

* * *

**_~~~~~~TFP~~~~~~_ **

**"Wow, that... Sounded painful."**

"Yeah," Danny said giving a curt nod, "So ever since then I've been protecting my hometown against the ghosts that have been crossing over to cause trouble. I'm not exactly seen as a 'hero' or anything by most people but I do what I can. So now you, Sam, Tucker, Jazz, my cousin and my arch enemy know that I'm not entirely human. Just a teen with ghost powers trying to get a passing grade-oh! And not become Ecto-guacamole."

Fifteen minutes later found Bumblebee with a better outlook on his ghostly friend once Danny decided to stop messing with him and give it to him straight. In all honesty, the story Bumblebee received was slightly confusing, seemingly impossible, unexpected but had the mystery that was Danny finally make sense. Bumblebee could already see that Danny was a good kid from the start, never doubtful of him but he made Bumblebee curious when he would accidentally let information slip and then look freaked out he did so in the following second. Now, if only the others knew the truth then they can all move past whatever doubt they harbored for Danny.

**"So, your parents also don't know that your half ghost?"**  Bumblebee asked.

"I..." Danny paused. A sudden sadness showed on his face before gazing out the window with a slightly pained expression. "I _can't_. Look, they're ghost hunters remember? If they get a hold of me before I can convince them that I'm on their side then it's all over. One of their life achievements is to dissect a ghost to study its biology or whatever molecule by molecule, and you wanna know who's on the top of the list for Prime Specimen Test Subjects? _Me_ ," Danny jabbed a thumb rather harshly to his chest, "That's who. Sorry if I'm not feeling too charitable in the 'exposing my secrets' department, I got too much riding on it to be careless. It's either lie to them or end up on their dissection table; something I'm not too keen on joining anytime soon." When he continued Bee could hear the tightly controlled emotion in Danny's voice, resonating with false strength but with self-aggravation, like the thought was a constant reoccurring one that brought frustration, sadness, self-loathing, and fear.

**"That must be rough."** Bumblebee acknowledged after a brief minute. Through his rearview mirror Bumblebee watched as Danny nodded along, chin resting on a balled up fist as he gazed at the world rushing past in a blur from the window.  **"Is that why you didn't tell us the truth?"**

"I never really saw a point of telling you guys," Danny mumbled, "in the beginning, it wasn't really important information. I'm half human, so what? Would that suddenly mean I can't help you guys anymore?" Danny questioned, "Heck, Miko does enough sulking because you guys want to keep her safe cause she's only human-besides, I don't look good sitting at the pity party.  _Then,_  I found out that you guys work alongside the government-which would make sense because how else would you guys have been able to navigate the Earth for so long- but I'm not exactly on 'good terms' with them either, so it became less of not 'really important information' to 'if I can't trust these guys with my secret then I'm going to be carted off into a government lab somewhere by the GIW. That Flower guy-"

**"Fowler."** Bumblebee corrected.

" _Whatever_ \- seems like the kind of person that would get uptight about anything, word get's out to him that there's a Ghost kid flying about he might call in the specialists to lock me away and I'll never see my family or friends again."

**"Have you done something wrong to warrant the authorities?"**

"No, at least for something I didn't do."

**"Then you should have nothing to worry about. Fowler's not going to participate in locking away an innocent kid."**  Bumblebee consoled.

"Well, you see that's thing!" Danny threw his arms up dramatically, inconsolable from the stress radiating from every fiber of his being, " _He_  may not be the one locking me up but the higher-ups will; and they won't take the word of a  _ghost_ , according to the Federal Anti-Ecto Acts Article 3, Section 10, Sub-section B, I become government property if they managed to capture me."

The sentence suddenly made his tanks drop as Bumblebee nearly came to screeching halt, taken off guard by that key bit of information; he felt ill.  **"They can't do that!"**  If that was true, it was no wonder Danny didn't tell them, It was either keep them in the dark or risk a death sentence.

"They  _can_ and they will." Danny threw in sourly. "They'll be just as eager to gut me open as my parents are, and there won't be anything I can do because technically it's all legal or some unstated law."  
 **  
"A very flawed law."**

"But a law nonetheless." The quip lacked the humor Danny's were usually known for, truly revealing how dire the possible outcome really was. Silence settled in like a lonesome, tangible fog nestling between the two friends with welcomed ease. Minutes passed as the scenery flashed by them, the once vibrant terrain was no longer enjoyable for it now seemed dull in comparison, desaturated of its wonder as the weight of Danny's grievance weighed down on him. As Bumblebee's wheels drove further down the pavement, the seated passenger drew lazy circles against Bee's window pane with his fingertip staring unseeingly in a sort of daze.  _How did he remain so carefree at the base with something like this on his mind?_

"Besides..." The sudden quietness Bumblebee was becoming used to broke with that simple word, spoken with a softness that lead him to believe that the following words weren't meant to have been spoken out loud. "After all the times they shot at me, if I tell them now and  _if_ they do accept me, they're going to realize that not only did they build a machine that half-killed their son, they also unknowingly aimed  _ectoweapons_ at him and degraded him as nothing less than putrid scum that belonged on their dissection table. It's...It's less  _messier_ this way." Tired eyes gazed at the world flashing by the window, the almost spoken words clear as day. The unspoken 'safer' sang like a whisper of a dying world.

Bumblebee observed him. Bee didn't feel like he held the right to tell Danny how to live his life, nor did he feel confident in either stance of the argument seeing as they both held their own pros and cons. If Danny disclosed his secret to his parents Danny ran the risk of not being accepted and having to live out the rest of his life as a fugitive or a lab experiment. If Danny keeps his mouth shut Danny'll still be hunted down by possible allies or worse.

Tell the truth, people will get hurt. Keeping silent and Danny'll be the only one on the receiving end of that violence.

The thought was sickening, the humans of Earth they were fighting so hard to protect can either be so compassionate or cruel. Bumblebee had been gratified to experience both sides- from Raf's constant understanding and kindness to MECH's organ snatching and torture. Bumblebee has come to consider Danny as his friend; Danny has shown that he's nothing less than compassionate, determined, understanding, friendly, and clever. The only thing Danny has been keeping from them was the fact that he could transform back into a human- similar to Cybertronians being able to switch back and forth between vehicular and bipedal forms- just to ensure his own safety.

It was kind of exciting to know you shared something in common with someone from another planet on a molecular level; being able to change form to suit the terrain brought about a sense of kinship on this otherwise alien world. All things considered, Bumblebee's desire to keep Danny safe increased tenfold; it wasn't because he's half human, but for who he is as a _person._  Danny was unknowingly worming his way into the mixed-matched dysfunctional family the Autobots had unintentionally formed here on Earth, not that Bumblebee minded.

_I wonder if the rest of the team thinks so as well_. Bumblebee thought. Despite all this, the only response Bumblebee felt was suitable was a simple,  **"I'm sorry."**

Danny blinked at the steering wheel, surprise coloring his face. "For what?" Danny asked, "Last I recall, I wasn't on the receiving end of your weapon."

**"For not being able to help; offer advice, something. I just wish there was something I could do."**  Explained Bumblebee, it sounded like a pitiful excuse to his own audio receptors.

"You just listening to me rant about my problems is enough, dude. There isn't a lot of people I can go talk to about this." Danny said after a minute, tone soft with gratitude.

**"But it doesn't _feel_ like enough. Danny, despite everything that's going on in your life right now you offered to help fight in a _war_  without a moment of hesitation."** Said Bumblebee making Danny shift in his seat, the unexpected compliment had him shying away from the response.

"Don't sweat it. I'm just glad I can help you guys in any way I can since I'm forced to stay here for the time being..." Danny trailed off with a frown, biting his lip uncertainly. "Do you think Arcee's right? That I'm just doing more harm than good?"

**"Your a good kid Danny, trying your best. Anything that has happened so far that was unintentional wasn't your fault."**  Bumblebee reassured.

Danny smiled, the answer seemed to placate him as Danny began rubbing the back of his neck shyly. "I try at least. Too bad others don't seem to think the same. Anyways, how's everything going back at the base?"

**"Fine actually; everyone's fallen back into the swing of things so visitors to the base should be welcomed again. Hopefully tomorrow."**  Bumblebee recalled the forlorn expressions that the occupants of the base wore, the children's presence was greatly missed, it was becoming evident that Team Prime wanted things to get back to normal as soon as possible, but their desire to keep the children safe overruled that want. Until things checked out completely for their mental state they just had to wait it out.

"That's good." Said Danny, observing the street view again, "Uh, where are we anyway?"

**"Taking a shortcut back to your house,"** Bumblebee replied, a soft nod was his response until the words sunk in; an indignant sputter sounded from the passenger seat, Danny looking for all the world like his worse enemy was trying to sparkbond with him.

"You'd tracked me all the way back to the  _house_!?" Danny shouted appallingly, "Um, stalker much?"

**"I'm a scout, it's what I do."**

Danny gave his steering wheel a nonimpressed look, "Like that's an excuse?"

Bumblebee had to admit the truth in that, but he doubted that if he said he did it out of sheer curiosity and boredom would be plausible either. Instead, a light chuckle escaped him; in the distortion of sound bites that was his voice box. Turning down a street that would lead them to their final destination, he felt Danny lounge deeper into the passenger seat letting out a huff.

"Glad to see that you find it hilarious." Danny said with a roll of his eyes, "Maybe I can recommend you to Vlad, you can become his hired stalker or something and make a quick buck."

**"Why?"**

"Dude's rich, name your price I'm sure that fruit loop will pay you; probably extra if you got him my mom's number."

**"I don't really have any use for human currency."**

"Bee, you could buy  _whatever_ you wanted that Earth has to offer, you could even do the transaction online to avoid human interaction like most introverts do. You could buy movies-"

**"Raf has a special website for that."**  
  
"-A new gaming system with games, cats to flood the base with, the glitter you dumped on me and Smokescreen-"

**"I got a stockpile already."**  
  
"-I don't know! Heck, you could probably get a giant-sized onesie that'll fit you no questions asked of something you like, kinky or otherwise. . ."

The rest of Danny's rant drowned out in Bee's audio receptors, the words 'giant-sized onesie' sang to his spark like Bulkhead in the wash racks. Bumblebee recalled Miko talking about those things before and even showed pictures, the thought of getting a cozy cowboy themed onesie was something he couldn't completely fathom becoming a reality, needless to say, he would touch Ratchet's delicate tech and suffer the impending wrath afterward if it meant he'd receive such an item.

**"Wait, where do I sign again?"**  Bumblebee asked jokingly, but it was kinda hard to fight off the bit of hopefulness seeping into his chirpy beeps.

"Right in between the lines of, 'sell your soul to the horned creep in a cape the reeks of cheese' and 'become an evil apprentice to said creep'. At least, I think that's where it was on my application." Danny snickered shaking his head. "But in all seriousness, you should avoid Vlad at all costs, the guy would totally throw you under the bus if it'll benefit his plans."

**"Oh well, back to the illegal street racing it is,"**  Bee said, followed by a violent shudder as he remembered Optimus' stern order that street racing was forbidden. He didn't need that kinda heat right now, especially when it could get his glitter stash confiscated. **"Hey, this is your house with the van right?"**

Danny turned towards the window and observed the van in question. "Yeah, though technically we're just staying here for a few months, back in Amity Park our house is  _way_ different, but its home despite how weird it looks." Danny replied, suddenly he observed the van with much more intensity like he was noticing something for the first time, "Hey, wait a second, the van is here."

**"Yes Danny, we've established that."**

But Danny just waved him off, already set to open the door. "No, I mean that it  _wasn't_ before I left, which means my parents are back. Oh crud, I sure hope they didn't try to call me."

**"Why?"**

"Forgot my phone at home. Shoot, I really gotta go," Danny fumbled about hurriedly, fingers finally unfastening the seat belt. "Thanks for the ride, Bee, and well, for everything else. It was nice hanging out too. See ya later?" Danny was now sliding out to stand.

**"Yeah-Yeah of course! It was nice hanging out with you as well despite the circumstances. Maybe tomorrow I'll see you at the base?"** Bumblebee inquired hopefully.

"Yeah, probably. Well, I better get back inside to see how my standing with my parents is. Tell everyone I said hi!" Danny said with a cheerful wave, scurrying up the driveway and nearly tripping over his own two feet as he did so, saving himself from what was bound to be a painful face plant by catching himself mid-fall, leaving Bumblebee to cringe slightly. Danny wasn't the epitome of grace but he was a pretty good friend, and that was all that mattered in the end.

Honking a farewell to the kid's retreating figure and a front door slam seconds after, Bumblebee left in pretty high spirits. Maybe he could try getting Arcee out for a nice drive to help get her mind off things. If not that, then he could try figuring out what else he could make sparkle with his glitter, he had insane amounts that he needed to get rid of anyway.

* * *

_**~~~~~~DP~~~~~~** _

When Danny closed the front door behind himself, he was not expecting the sound of chatter nor the sight that greeted him, nearly making himself drop dead as shock pulsated from his frightened heart. Out of all the things that happened and what other things life planned to throw at Danny today, the  _last_ thing he was expecting to see was Jack, Miko, Raf, and some lady that bared a resemblance to Jack, to be sitting in their living room having a conversation with his parents.

_What were they doing here?_

The sound of the front door closing immediately had the adults in the room grow silent, all eyes focused on the newcomer as Danny stood wide-eyed and awkward. Mom appeared to have just returned from the kitchen with a fresh pot of tea. From the recliner, his Dad's excited hand gestures and boisterous movements showed he was regaling them in a story, no doubt concerning ghosts, until he too, paused to take in his son's haggard appearance. The unknown lady and teens had taken claim to the couch, the former nursing a cup of tea within her cupped hands as steam still billowed from its top, three empty teacups were abandoned on the coffee table in front of them, it was likely they belonged to the teens. The saying, "Deer Caught in Headlights" never seemed more fitting for Danny felt immensely out of place, like he'd just walked into a bar full of drunk naked goons planning to pull off a bank robbery, and both parties were too surprised and confused to make the first move that will determine just how the situation would play out... at least something in the house smelled nice.

But another thing that really set Danny on edge, was the fact that the TEEN's were here. Did Bumblebee betray his trust and phoned them in? Did they know?  _No_ , Danny rationalized despite the cold stone of dread forming in his stomach,  _Bee wouldn't have done that. He seemed to understand why I must keep me being half-ghost a secret. He-he wouldn't have, he knows how much danger I could be in if I did... Then why are they here? They couldn't have just put it all together just from that-that one chance encounter with Vince, did they? If they're here, WITH an adult, are they here to rat me out to my parents?  
_  
Danny felt sick to his stomach, hollowed out into a swirling endless void as his nerves twisted themselves into tight knots of anxiety and his mind wandered into dangerous waters. The expectant, fixated stares robbed the warmth from his body as he felt himself go pale. Danny could feel the tiniest of tremors crawling up his legs and threatened to break his foundation; if he let his thoughts run rampant any further, Danny was going to topple over.  _Breathe, you're making this worse then this really is. At least try to figure out_ **why** they're here to begin with. Danny heaved a shuddering breath, drawing from a faux bravado at the far recesses of his mind to steal his resolve, Danny offered a short wave to gauge a reaction, "Uh, hi?"

That seemed to snap them from their trance, snapping the room back to life like an un-paused movie. This kick-started his dad's rapid movements, the sudden burst of excitement emitting from his father was pliable as Jack made to stand, "Danny-boy! There you are!"

Taking in how roughed up he looked, his mother's face looked none too pleased as to what she saw. "Danny, I thought you were still up in your room? When did you leave?" Maddie inquired, her face was calculating like the times Danny walked in on her in the lab when she was configuring a new ghost weapon; taking it apart and piecing it back together to determine why it wasn't working like she wanted it to until it did. Danny's mother approached him; every step was made with purpose and confidence, a contrast to his hunched form in an attempt to appear unsuspecting. A hand was placed between his shoulder blades urging him forward, guiding him away from the stairwell and into the living room, preventing any attempts at being a recluse in his room. He didn't miss the flinch of disgust crossing her features as she caught wind of the smell of hot garbage clinging to his body after he had been so rudely been dumped in. _Thanks Vince._  The fight to keep the whine down in his throat was a struggle he somehow managed.  
 __  
Whelp, there goes that plan.  


Maddie's question hung heavily in the air awaiting a response, every occupant in the room seeming to harbor some level of interest in their eyes. Danny  _hated_ it, their eager souls put him on display waiting to skin him of his secrets and made his skin crawl. Was  _everyone_ just after him today? First, the air conditioning going out, then that lady making a jibe at his height, then Vince and his fabulous rat establishment, not to mention Bee being a total stalker due to his unquenchable curiosity, and now  _this_? Danny could practically hear the deity making his life a living hell preening, belching out a giddy "Yes."

Alright, he needed to pull himself together before he made this much worse. Mom still wanted an answer and he needed to defuse a bomb before it blew up in his face. Finally, Danny answered, "Not long ago, it was really hot in the house so I went out."

Maddie nodded, "I can't fault you for that, your father had set up the Fenton Windmaker as soon as we got back," Maddie said, which explained why it was a great deal cooler in the house now. Maddie continued, "Everyone, this is our son, Danny. He came with-"

Whatever else Danny's mom was going to say was cut off by Miko leaping off the couch pointing towards him looking shocked, shouting, "Holy Scrap! You're the kid that Vince kidnapped!"

Danny was met with wide-eyed stares much more intense than when he first walked in. He could hear Jack whispering a harsh, "Miko!" Immediately after, while the adults openly gaped at him.

_REALLY? After I gave you my FreezeRay, THIS is how you repay me? Wow, just-._ Danny was ready to swallow the figurative bomb now and call it day with a "Bon voyage suckers, but this guy is ready to die," and possibly a peace sign for good measure.

"What's this talk about you being kidnapped, young man?" Maddie asked with narrowed eyes, "Is this 'Vince' another ghost that tried to kidnap you again?!"

"No, no! Nothing like that!" Danny shouted throwing his hands forward in hopes of appeasement, continuing more calmly, "Vince was just some kid who was trying to scare me after-ah, a disagreement. He drove me around town, got bored, and dropped me off a few streets down. It wasn't  _that_  big of a deal."

"Why would he do that?" Maddie asked.

"Because I accidentally spilled my drink on him, I apologized but he still didn't care. But I'm fine! So everything is okay now." Danny reassured.

The towering man that was Jack Fenton scooped Danny into a bone-crushing sidearm hug, lifting Danny to his dad's full height left Danny's feet to dangle freely below. "Ah, that's Danno for ya! Nothin' scares us Fentons! Except when we're out I fudge, that's something to worry about. " Danny wasn't sure if he made a squeaking noise or if his oxygen-deprived brain just imagined it, but Raf was definitely looking startled and gave him an eagle-eyed stare that was bordering on concern.

Maddie pressed on, not entirely convinced as her gullible husband, face displaying worry, "Are you sure, sweetie?"

Danny nearly had to gasp for air to voice an answer, wriggling in his dad's hold trying to break free, "Uh, yeah I'm-ah! Sure."

The argument was now more into Danny's favor and was drawing to a close, sweet reprieve was so close he could practically taste it. Maddie appeared to know this as well, concern swirled in her violet orbs, the scientist in her needing to know more information as to what was going on, but Danny wasn't giving it to her. Danny tried not to let the bubble of guilt nag him too much. Mom bit her lip, "That still doesn't explain-" Maddie grimaced, gesturing to his lanky frame,"-that awful  _smell."_

 

"It's called 'Teen Sweat,' Mom."

All the fight in his mom's eyes faded. She wouldn't try prying for any more information regarding the matter, it would seem. Maddie sighed into her hand, "Alright. And Jack— not so tight." Maddie reminded. And to Danny's great relief, his hold loosened, But only slightly. The only problem now was that his dad was still parading with Danny beneath his arm. The image of a toddler holding the household cat by their underarms leaving the poor animal's back paws to dangle was a comparison that Danny could have lived without, a light pink dusted his cheeks in embarrassment. Curse his active imagination!

The lady sitting on the couch gave him and his dad's a fond look, which made the flush on his cheeks to become darker in hue. Soon, she was standing up to introduce herself to Danny with a warm smile, "Hello Danny, your parents were telling me quite a bit about you." They better not have been embarrassing things. "My name is June Darby, I'm a nurse at the local hospital not far from here. And this is my son, Jack. "

Jack, still sitting on the couch offered a slight wave, Danny's dad cut in enthusiastically, "Isn't it cool Danny that we share the same name? Of course, that could have been you, I wanted to name you Jack Fenton Junior but your mother said-"

"You're getting off topic again, Dear." Maddie cut in, smiling gently. The sheepish smile her husband offered in return seemed to clear any annoyance Mrs. Darby may have harbored from being cut off.

"Sorry 'bout that Mads!" His dad's voice rumbled almost soothingly against his back, echoing through Danny's bones with its strong resonance. Danny swallowed against the hard lump forming in his throat; would his dad still hold him this close if he knew the truth? Danny, being the very thing his father  _despised_ and  _hunted._  If Danny's secret were to be exposed, would Danny's next embrace be in his dad's warm arms or the cold metal straps of a dissection table?

Danny tried to keep the grimace off his face at the unsettling thought when he reached to shake Mrs. Darby's hand. The slight creasing of her eyebrows showed he wasn't very successful. Still, he should try to push the ruse of formalities before anyone began to ask more unwanted questions that he didn't want to answer.

"It's nice to meet you both," Danny replied pleasantly, "Uh, what brings you here? I wasn't expecting to come back to guests."

"Jack told me that we had new neighbors and he was  _very_ insistent on meeting you guys," June began with a knowing smile, eyes darting in her son's direction making Jack duck his head. "I know how tough it can be to be in an unfamiliar place, where you don't know where everything is, or what kind of people you're sharing the town with, so we thought: What the heck, why not welcome you all to the neighborhood?"

_What._

Danny's attention immediately snapped to Jack, eyes narrowing just the slightest bit with an air of suspicion.  _What did he know?_

Jack chuckled, embarrassed by his mother's statement but nonetheless nodding along as his finger scratched warily at his cheek.  _Definitely nervous,_ Danny duly noted adding it to his long list of, "Things That Give Me Anxiety."

Jack cleared his throat with a muted cough, preparing to continue where his mom left off, "Yeah, well, I saw you the other day-" Wait,  _when_ did Jack see him?"- and you looked like you were new around here; definitely haven't seen you around before and it's a quiet neighborhood, y'know? Sometimes it can get pretty boring around here if you don't know your way around." Jack said, eyes meeting Danny's with a kind expression.

Danny didn't really mean to come off as rude, but when he mumbled, "I'm sure we can manage just fine," seemed to be the wrong thing to say given the disapproving glares being sent his way from his parents. Jack meanwhile, seemed taken aback by his tart response.

_If coming off as a jerk deters them from putting together that I'M Phantom, then by all means..._

"Not to mention," Miko cut in seeming unaffected by the tense atmosphere, looked way too cheerful for the words that left her mouth, "after you disappeared with Vince, it's good to know that you're alive and your body wasn't dropped off in the middle of a ditch or something!"

Okay, he did NOT need her to destroy the sense of ease he just finely fabricated for his parents. She just made the guy who kidnapped him sound like a gang member.

...Which could actually be true as far as Danny was aware of.

Danny blinked, "Huh, that makes sense, I guess..." was this normal for Jasper or was this a thing that  _all_ towns did and Amity Park was the odd one out? The whole concept seemed alien to him, almost coming off as one of those old shows starring trophy wives brandishing their fresh baked pies and husbands with ugly cowlicks that aired late at night and were the only thing that grandparents considered as "good television". If Jack was telling the truth and wasn't trying to corner him till Danny revealed his ghostly persona, then Danny didn't plan on sticking around to start hinting clues to fill him in on the matter. Danny would prefer to keep his two lives separate to avoid any unwanted consequences.

Danny wet his lips; testing the arm hold his dad had on him by wiggling a bit, he discovered that it had indeed loosened, the realization sent a surge of satisfaction rippling down his spine. "As touching and  _unneeded_ your concern was, I seriously got some stuff to do  _upstairs,_  so if you don't mind..."

Danny couldn't risk spending time with them; not in his human form at least. They knew a lot of his cues and quirks given how much they've interacted with him as Phantom as of late, near-death experiences tend to bond people closer together after all. If he unconsciously did something that so much as  _reminded_ them as to his ghostly persona, it could all be over. The connection between Fenton and Phantom needed to stay far away from each other, like two cords trailing off into different directions never to cross, tangle, intermingle, or knot.

The cross look appearing on his mother's face wasn't a pleasant one, but Danny could suffer her disappointment  _after_ they leave.

"Danny, that is no way to treat company," his father reprimanded sternly, after taking notice of the look on his wife's face, "especially after they've been so nice to us!"

Maddie exchanged a sheepish expression with June, "Sorry Mrs. Darby, Danny isn't usually this difficult, it must be the summer heat getting to him; Danny never really liked hot days."

June chuckled lightly, a knowing light seemed to twinkle in her eyes at the information, "Oh its quite alright, not everyone can deal with Jasper's heatwaves during the summer, you wouldn't  _believe_ how packed the public pools get since kids are out of school. If you don't get there early then you'll find most people biding their time in the freezer aisle at the supermarket." That got a few chuckles out of his parents, while Miko and Raf displayed varying degrees of boredom. "Well, we've taken up enough of your time, it's probably for the best that we head out," June stated, finishing off her tea and placing it on the coffee table, June made to stand. Jack looked disappointed.

_Thank the freaking lord, there's a Jesus after all._

"Oh, are you sure you have to leave so soon?" Maddie inquired, a frown marring her lips, "why don't you stay for dinner? Those lovely Quiches you made is more than enough to go around."

_Huh, so **that** is what that smell was. Well, now I feel kinda bad..._

But then again, not really.

June waved it off, "No I shouldn't, the kids wanted to see about visiting some friends to discuss Sci-Fi; besides, I made those for you guys."

"Mrs. Darby, you made  _four_ pies _._ I know my boys have ravenous appetites, but even  _we_ couldn't finish those off." Danny's Mother laughed, it sent the once fleeing feeling of elation to plummet into oblivion.

Danny's Dad launched his arms outwards in excitement, unexpectedly releasing Danny from his bear-hug prison; causing him to drop like a bag of potatoes with a yelp that went unnoticed, "If the kids want to talk about Sci-Fi, we can discuss it over dinner! While Ghost's may seem like some fictional hocus-pocus, I assure you, Ghost's are very real! We can tell you about all the advances we've made in Ecto-biology, Ecto-weaponry, and studies about Ghost behavior and origins!" Dad babbled on like he was offering to take them on a once in a lifetime experience- _it'll no doubt be an_ experience  _all right_. Danny's father continued, the hopefulness in his tone never fading as he met the kids' wide-eyed stares, "What do ya say, kids? Want to hear me blab on about Ghosts over dinner and Fudge?"

_Please say no._

Miko and Raf shot each other contemplative glances, but before either of them could come to a decision, Jack immediately perked up, "Sure! I wouldn't mind, right guys?"

The look of indecision was gone, replaced by a faux eagerness seeping into their expressions.

"Yeah totally! Maybe we can even bust some Ghosties!"

"I guess so...?"

"Then its settled!" Danny's father proclaimed, a finality settling upon the situation that June couldn't back out of. A sniffle could be heard from the hulking form of the man as he wiped away a stray tear, "Never in my life have I met such eager candidates willing to know about our Ghost Research-besides our own children of course."

Danny's world was crumbling apart, the hope of salvation died like the embers of a fading comet.

June sighed, resigning herself to what was going to be one heck of a dinner, "Well if the kids are okay with it..."

_DARN IT ALL! God is_ a LIE _._


End file.
